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.
“I’ve never understood pity and self-pity as an emotion. We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn’t matter. Life is to be lived.”
“If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.”
“Want to have a short phone call with someone? Call them at 11:55 a.m., right before lunch. They'll talk fast. You may think you are interesting, but you are not more interesting than lunch.”
“We've placed a lot of emphasis in this country on the idea of people's rights. That's how it should be, but it makes no sense to talk about rights without also talking about responsibilities.”
“Coach Graham rode you pretty hard, didn't he?" he said.I could barely muster a "yeah."That's a good thing," the assistant told me. When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, it means they've given up on you.”
“And even though I did not reach the NFL, I sometimes think I got more from persuing that dream, and not accomplishing it, then I did from many of the ones I did accomplish.”
“Don’t complain; just work harder.”
“When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you.”
“When we're connected to others, we become better people.”
“My coach knew there was only one way to develop (self esteem): You give children something they can't do, they work hard until they find they can do it, and you just keep repeating the process.”
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. ”
“I'm sorry.It's my fault.How do I make it right?”
“Follow your passions, believe in karma, and you won't have to chase your dreams, they will come to you.”
“A lot of people want a shortcut. I find the best shortcut is the long way, which is basically two words: work hard.”
“there should be some lessons learned and how you can use the stuff you hear today to achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others. And as you get older, you may find that “enabling the dreams of others” thing is even more fun.”
“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.”
“If I only had three words of advice, they would be, Tell the Truth. If got three more words, I'd add, all the time.”
“Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. You’ve got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn’t going to work.”
“Find the best in everybody. Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you. It might even take years, but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting.”
“When there’s an elephant in the room introduce him.”
“Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.”
“Throughout my academic career, I'd given some pretty good talks. But being considered the best speaker in the computer science department is like being known as the tallest of the Seven Dwarfs.”
“The questions are always more important than the answers.”
“There are more ways than one to measure profits and losses.”
“One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose.”
“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.”
“You may not want to hear it, but your critics are often the ones telling you they still love you and care about you, and want to make you better. ”
“Give yourself permission to dream. Fuel your kids' dreams too. Once in a while, that might even mean letting them stay up past their bedtimes.”
“The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have. ”
“Time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think.”
“until you got ice cream spilled on you, you’re not doing field work”
“If you’re going to have childhood dreams you should have great parents who let you pursue them and express your creativity”
“Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress. When you're pissed off at someone and you're angry at them, you just haven't given them enough time. Just give them a little more time and they almost always will impress you.”
“Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”
“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. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
“Its important to have specific dreams. Dream Big. Dream without fear.”
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
“Believe nothing a man tells you and everything he shows you"....(Taken from a farewell video from a dying father to his infant daughter on dating)”