Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture (2008)

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We all stand on the dart board and very few of us catch the darts. Do not think it is unfair. It is fair but you are unlucky.

Randy Pausch
The best way to teach somebody something is to have them think they're learning something else. I've done it my whole career. And the head fake here is that they're learning to program but they just think they're making movies and video games.

Randy Pausch
Find the best in everybody. … you might have to wait a long time, sometimes years, but people will show you their good side. 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.

Randy Pausch
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.

Randy Pausch
Engineering isn't about perfect solutions; it's about doing the best you can with limited resources.

Randy Pausch
Just because you're in the driver's seat, doesn't mean you have to run people over.

Randy Pausch
Never lose the child-like wonder. It's just too important. It's what drives us.

Randy Pausch
I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children. If I were a painter, I would have painted for them. If I were a musician, I would have composed music. But I am a lecturer. So I lectured,

Randy Pausch
Proper apologies have three parts: 1) What I did was wrong. 2) I feel badly that I hurt you. 3) How do I make this better?

Randy Pausch
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.

Randy Pausch
The best gift an educator can give is to get someone to become self-reflective.

Randy Pausch
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.

Randy Pausch
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.

Randy Pausch
When you're only doing it for one play and you're just not where you're supposed to be, and freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose, boy are you going to clean somebody's clock for that one play.

Randy Pausch
When you've had something for ten years that you hold so precious, it's the toughest thing in the world to hand it over. And the only advice I can give you is, find somebody better than you to hand it to.

Randy Pausch
A lot of people want a shortcut. I find the best shortcut is the long way, which is basically two words: work hard.

Randy Pausch
And I think that that's one of the best things you can give somebody – the chance to show them what it feels like to make other people get excited and happy.

Randy Pausch
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.

Randy Pausch
If you can find your footing between two cultures, sometimes you can have the best of both worlds.

Randy Pausch
Most people who have told a lie think they got away with it … when in fact, they didn't

Randy Pausch
And be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.

Randy Pausch
Get a feedback loop and listen to it. … When people give you feedback, cherish it and use it.

Randy Pausch
Did you figure out the second head fake? This talk's not for you. It's for my kids.

Randy Pausch
Remember brick walls let us show our dedication. They are there to separate us from the people who don't really want to achieve their childhood dreams.

Randy Pausch
If you want something bad enough, never give up (and take a boost when offered).

Randy Pausch
I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because there's no other way to play.

Randy Pausch
If you offer wisdom from a third party, it seems less arrogant and more acceptable.

Randy Pausch
If you can find an opening, you can probably find a way to float through it.

Randy Pausch
Kids need to know their parents love them. Their parents don't need to be alive for that to happen.

Randy Pausch
Time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think.

Randy Pausch