Randy Pausch
I am flattered and embarassed by all the recent attention to my "Last Lecture." I am told that, including abridged versions, over six million people have viewed the lecture online. The lecture really was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it, that is wonderful. But rest assured; I'm hardly unique. Send your kids to Carnegie Mellon and the other professors here will teach them valuable life lessons long after I'm gone. -- Randy
Randy Pausch was a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States and a best-selling author, who achieved worldwide fame for his "The Last Lecture" speech on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon University.
In August 2006, Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He pursued a very aggressive cancer treatment that included Whipple procedure surgery and experimental chemotherapy; however, in August 2007, he was told the cancer had metastasized to his liver and spleen, which meant it was terminal. He then started palliative chemotherapy, intended to extend his life as long as possible. At that time, doctors estimated he would remain healthy for another three to six months. On May 2, 2008, a PET scan showed that his cancer had spread to his lungs, some lymph nodes in his chest and that he had some metastases in his peritoneum and retroperitoneum.
On June 26, 2008, Pausch indicated that he was considering stopping further chemotherapy because of the potential adverse side effects. He was, however, considering some immuno-therapy-based approaches.
On July 24, 2008, on behalf of Pausch, his friend (anonymous) posted a message on Pausch's webpage indicating cancer progression further than what was expected from recent PET scans and Pausch becoming more sick than ever. It was announced that his family had sent him into a hospice program — palliative care to those at the end of life.
On July 25, 2008, Diane Sawyer announced on Good Morning America that Pausch had died earlier that morning.
“We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn’t matter. Life is to be lived”
“No job should, be beneath us. And if you can't(or won't) sort mail, Where is the proof that you can do anything?”
“Anybody out there who is a parent, if your kids want to paint their bedrooms,as a favor to me, let them do it. It'll be OK.”
“If you can find your footing between two cultures, sometimes you can have the best of both worlds.”
“Most people who have told a lie think they got away with it … when in fact, they didn’t”
“Your patience will be both appreciated and rewarded”
“Look for the best in everybody”
“An injured lion wants to know if he can still roar.”
“Kids need to know their parents love them. Their parents don’t need to be alive for that to happen.”
“Your critics are the ones telling you they still love you and care. Worry when you do something badly and nobody bothers to tell you.”
“Focus on other people, not on yourself.”
“A good apology is like antibiotic, a bad apology is like rubbing salt in the wound.”
“Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.”
“Are you a Tigger or an Eyore?”
“who come out limp often have the most trouble. But the ones who come out all pissed off and full of noise,they’re the fighters. They’re the ones who thrive.”
“Through tears, she couldn’t ask the hardest question. But I had theanswer. “He’s moving.”
“Whatever news we get about the scans, I’m not going to die when we hear it. Iwon’t die the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. Sotoday, right now, well this is a wonderful day. And I want you to knowhow much I’m enjoying it.”I thought about that, and about Jai’s smile.I knew then. That’s the way the rest of my life would need to be lived.”
“When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do.”
“If you have a question, then find the answer.”
“Never lose the child like wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what drives us. Help others.”
“There's a lot of talk these days about giving children self-esteem. It's not something you can give; it's something they have to build. Coach Graham worked in a no-coddling zone. Self-esteem? He knew there was really only one way to teach kids how to develop it: You give them something they can't do, they work hard until they find they can do it, and you just keep repeating the process.”
“Look, I'm going to find a way to be happy, and I'd really love to be happy with you, but if I can't be happy with you, then I'll find a way to be happy without you.”
“You've got to get the fundamentals down, because otherwise the fancy stuff is not going to work.”
“If you can find an opening, you can probably find a way to float through it.”
“He had high hopes for society, and though his hopes were too often dashed, he remained a raging optimist.”
“The person who failed often knows how to avoid future failures.”
“The person who knows only success can be more oblivious to all the pitfalls.”
“Randy Pausch on time management:Here's what I know:Time must be explicitly managed, like money.You can always change your plan, but only if you have one.Ask yourself: Are you spending your time on the right things?Develop a good filing system.Rethink the telephone.Delegate.Take a time out.Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.”
“I've always admired people who are over-prepared.”
“All my adult life I've felt drawn to ask long-married couples how they were able to stay together. All of them said the same thing: "We worked hard at it.”
“Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier.”
“Too many people go through life complaining about their problems. I've always believed that if you took one tenth the enrgy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you'd be surprised by how well things can work out.”
“Never make a decesion until you have to". He'd also warn me that even if I was in a position of strenght, whether at work or in a relationship, I had to play fair. "Just because you're in the driver's seat, doesn't mean you have to run people over.”
“Please don't die.”
“Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.”
“It's not how hard you hit. It's how hard you get hit...and keep moving forward.”
“kadang yang perlu kita lakukan hanyalah bertanya dan itu mungkin membuat semua impian terwujud”
“bila kau melakukan sesuatu yang buruk, tetapi sudah tidak ada lagi yang mau memberitahukannya kepadamu, berarti kamu sudah diabaikan dan tidak berarti”
“kita tidak bisa mengubah kartu yang dibagikan kepada kita, hanya bagaimana cara kita memainkan”
“Find the best in everybody. Just keep waiting no matter how long it takes. No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side, just keep waiting, it will come out.”
“I don't believe in the no-win scenario”
“I don't suffer from an abundance of politeness.”
“You can always change you plan, but only if you have one.”
“If I work hard enough, there will be things I can do tomorrow that I can't do today.”
“Engineering isn't about perfect solutions; it's about doing the best you can with limited resources.”
“Sometimes all you have to do is ask, and it can lead to all your dreams coming true.”
“Go out and do for others what somebody did for you.”
“somehow, with the passage of time, and the deadlines that life imposes, surrendering became the right thing to do”
“Not everything needs to be fixed”
“if you offer wisdom from a third party, it seems less arrogant and more acceptable.”