The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch

Below are just some of the quotes from his book (which are excellent life lessons to learn), ‘The Last Lecture - Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams’:

• We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
• Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcomed.
• The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.
• When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody's bothering to tell you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics are the ones telling you they still love you and care.
• Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you. He said, when you are pissed off at somebody, and you're angry at them, you just haven't given them enough time. Just give them a little more time — and they'll almost always impress you
• The best gift an educator can give is to get someone to become self reflective.
• The best way to teach somebody something is to have them think they're learning something else.
• Do not tell people how to live their lives. Just tell them stories. And they will figure out how those stories apply to them.
• You just have to decide whether you are Tigger or an Eeyore. You have to be clear where you stand on the Tigger/Eeyore debate.
• Never lose the child-like wonder. It's just too important. It's what drives us.
• Help others.
• It took me a long time but I finally figured it out: when it comes to men that are romantically interested in you, it's really simple: just ignore everything they say, and only pay attention to what they do. It's that simple. It's that easy.
• If I could only give three words of advice, they would be, "Tell the Truth." If I got three more words, I'd add, "All the time."
• Be earnest.
• Apologize when you screw up.
• Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.
• Never give up: There are certain times that you think, “OK, you have beaten me down to my knees. And now the challenge is, I am on my knees and you keep on beating me down. And the question is, are you going to keep beating me all the way to the ground or will I find a way to struggle my way back on to my feet.”
• Focus on other people, not on yourself.
• Get a feedback loop and listen to it. ... When people give you feedback, cherish it and use it.
• Show gratitude.
• Don't complain; just work harder.
• Be good at something. It makes you valuable.
• Junior faculty members used to come up to me and say. "Wow, you got tenure early; what's your secret?" I said, "It's pretty simple, call me any Friday night in my office at 10 o'clock and I'll tell you.
• Find the best in everybody.
• Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.
• Did you figure out the head fake? It's not about how to achieve your dreams. It's about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.
• Did you figure out the second head fake? This talk's not for you. It's for my kids.

Randy Pausch (1960-10-23–2008-07-25) was a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States and a best-selling author, who achieved worldwide fame for his speech The Last Lecture at Carnegie Mellon University, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and having only a few months to live.