Quotes From Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
My favourite quotes from Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture
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 welcome.
I probably got more from that dream and not accomplishing it than I got from any of the ones that I did accomplish.
You’ve got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn’t going to work.
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 your ones telling you they still love you and care.
Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.
Head fake learning is absolutely important, and you should keep your eye out for them because they’re everywhere.
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.
It’s pretty easy to be smart when you’re parroting smart people.
It’s very important to know when you’re in a pissing match. And it’s very important to get out of it as quickly as possible.
Until you got ice cream spilled on you, you’re not doing field work.
I can’t tell you beforehand, but right before they present it I can tell you if the world (his students project work) is good by the body language. If they’re standing close to each other, the world is good.
If you’re going to do anything that pioneering you will get those arrows in the back, and you just have to put up with it. I mean everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
Somewhere along the way there’s got to be some aspect of what lets you get to achieve your dreams. First one is the role of parents, mentors, and students.
And he (Andy Van Dam) said, Randy, it’s such a shame that people perceive you as so arrogant. Because it’s going to limit what you’re going to be able to accomplish in life.
You just have to decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eeyore.
I have a theory that people who come from large families are better people because they’ve just had to learn to get along.
Loyalty is a two way street.
Syl said, it took me a long time but I’ve 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.
You can’t get there alone. People have to help you and I do believe in karma. I believe in paybacks. You get people to help you by telling the truth. Being earnest.
I’ll take an earnest person over a hip person every day, because hip is short term. Earnest is long term.
Apologise when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself.
Don’t bail. The best of the gold’s at the bottom of barrels of crap.
Get a feedback loop and listen to it. Your feedback loop can be this dorky spreadsheet thing I did, or it can just be one great man who tells you what you need to hear. The hard part is the listening to it.
Don’t complain. Just work harder. That’s a picture of Jackie Robinson. It was in his contract not to complain, even when the fans spit on him.
Be good at something, it makes you valuable.
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.
Be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.
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.
I think the most important message from his lecture is that leading your life the right way is never just about you, it’s about you and the people around you.
The way Randy passionately talked about life reminds me of Roberto Benigni’s character in Life is Beautiful, albeit a slightly more arrogant version :).
Update (26/07/2008): I checked my blog comment alerts this morning, and learnt that Randy just passed away. In my mind, I had always hoped that he would beat the cancer… somehow. Rest in peace, Randy. Our thoughts are with your family and friends.
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i read the book. i watched his videos.
I am just very happy for Randy coz he is still doing things better for his loved ones. I salute this guy. Very inspiring! Very motivating! i guess this is how life is, unpredictable but still you can plan and change your sail through it all..Guys, i’m also encouraging you to buy the book entitled the last lecture..it’s worth it.
He just passed today. What a truly inspirational and lovely man.
RIP Randy. You are my inspiration
The message he left is truly a godsend to today’s world. May he rest in peace.
Randy was one of the most influential persons that I believe ever existed. Dealing with the deadliest and fast acting cancer known to man, Randy didn’t give up. Instead, he accepted his illness and decided to make the best out of every single second that he was able to breathe. My condolonces go out to Randy’s family and close friends during this difficult time. Atleast Randy is now able to rest peacefully without having to deal with this terrible disease. God Bless.
this guy has truly changed my life
he will be missed
and remembered forever!
i know when i have children i will show them his lecture and hope they grow from it.
he was a brilliant man that lived and loved life. he has changed my life. he was truly an inspiration.
rip randy, my prayers are with you and your family everyday.
you are my idol.
Go to http://www.firstgiving.com/randypausch to give to fight pancreatic cancer in Randy Pausch’s name
[...] I just read Who Moved My Cheese yesterday. Read it in the bathroom in the morning, during short commutes, and at night. Very short. It probably took me less than 2 hours in total. I like it. My review to come soon. I soon read this book after watching Randy Pausch’s Time Management lecture (who passed away a couple of days ago). In that lecture he recommended 2 books: One Minute Manager by Spencer Johnson (the same author with Who Moved My Cheese) and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. I’d like to read both books. Who Moved My Cheese was given by a friend. [...]
he is a great guy.
i have never met him, but he has truly changed my life for the good.
he makes me see life like never before.
I wanted him to win the battle of pancreatic cancer,
but unfortunetly he didnt.
may he RIP.
and god bless hiss family.
I’m halfway reading his book and the book-reading journey has been really wonderful so far…I really love the first quote : We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
Randy Pausch missed a golden opportunity to offer his kids something more important than lessons learned, optimism, and humor.
Hope.
He may have done so in private, we’ll never know. What we do know is that while he had the world stage, he did not mention the part about spending eternity in heaven with Christ. That message does not receive high ratings on Oprah and the like. Instead performing for an audience of one, he settled instead for the talk show circuit and the accolades of men.
Millions of people think his message is inspirational, when in fact it is very sad.
Probably the greatest head fake of all.
maybe he didnt believe in god, i dont either and does it really matter?? his message is the same:he talks about life and karma not beliefs
re: anonymous hope
It is hard to imagine he didn’t have those conversations with his family. But you have to remember the context of the speech, it was to share his gratitude of having had a full but short life, because he had followed his dreams.
Using the stage to share the gospel was not one of his life’s dreams. To do so would have been contrived and dishonest. I believe we are all here to discover our own unique purpose and achieve our biggest goals. Clearly there is a spiritual component to that process. For some that is being an evangelist, for others it is being a scientist.
Why fault people for having different dreams and following them?
Jim
Ex-Employee.com
This is a very informative post about cancer.My niece is still suffering from side effects of a
pancreatic Cancer she had after suffering from Stomach cancer.Thanks for such a useful post about
cancer.
Thanks for your time to wrote this post.
by ChangeForge | Ken Stewart | Where business and technology collide » The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Invent It.
[...] While I no longer hold with the notion that I can create my own destiny, perhaps another quote by Randy Pausch sums up my [...]
good quotes i loved them
i just finished his book..probably the best book i’ve ever read. it was very inspirational and being a college student i plan to change things around. thanks to randy pausch i now believe in myself 100% more then i did before and i know any dream of mine is possible in some kind of way. for those of you who think his lecture was sad, you need to think again. how could you not be moved by it?
This was wonderful. Just great. I actually wrote 2 poems on his quotes. May god rest you in peace.
Pausch is the Man. Wherever he is now… I am sad I never met him in this world.
Since I have seen his recording a couple of Months ago on YouTube, I’m a different Person.
I saw the video a couple of weeks ago and it changed me… changed my way dealing with things and to stop complaining about stupid stuff, caring for what is really important… i’m about to buy the book to read it too, i know it will be worth reading
great collection of quotes. May he rest in peace.
I saw Dr. Randy giving the lecture and I was moved to tears. God rest his soul in eternal peace. I know you left you wife and kids a great inspiration to enable them carry on. Thank God for such a great man.
Once I started reading the book, I didn’t want to let go. It was both Captivating and inspirational and would read it over and over.
Though I respect that everyone is intitled to their opinion, I can’t help but feel sad that Mr/Miss/Mrs/Dr/Rev/Ps/Prof….ANONYMOUS would go out of his way to find fault in such an inspirational piece of work. clearly he/she missed the whole purpose/bottom-line of religion: To encourage human being to live honesrly, in peace and hamorny with fellow beings. The essence of The last lecture, amongst other things, is to live and honest life to the fullest and in hamorny with fellow beings.
The irony is that, of all the people who commented on this inspirational man…..you are the only one without a name…now that say alot abour you… ANONYMOUS..
One of the greatest dicoveries of life is that we are all, somehow, interconnected and fi we live life in that spirit, more can be achieved towards making this world less violent and intolerant..
i love the last lecture.he inspired me to do the best in my life,and he teaches me to deserved anything.thanks randy..
may he rest in peace,god bless u,randy!! :)
i loved reading his last lecture … truly inspirational …. i agree it reminded me of the movie ” life is beauitful ”Roberto Benigni’s character etched a permanant impression on me …..
god be with his family .
i completely agree with Nare. And i can’t wait to read Randy’s book. i’m getting it for christmas. RIP and may God be with your family.
[...]I found this blog and I want to share some memorable quotes from Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture http://blog.cliffano.com/2007/12/26/quotes-from-randy-pauschs-last-lecture “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 welcome. I probably got more from that dream and not accomplishing it than I got from any of the ones that I did accomplish. [...]
it was a simple, powerful lecture. i will be sharing it with my team at work, thanks for putting together a group of quotes, i appreciate it.
I read the book in about 4 hours, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.
I think more than changing my life, he gave my life a complete different meaning. I now see it as a gift, not as an obstacle, when things get a little hard. Think about it… how much harder can anything be than unwillingly leaving your family?
Just finished reading the book while I was in jury duty. I loved it and I especially loved certain quotes within the book. R.I.P. Randy.
You(Randy Pausch) are a trully inspiring man, that I am writing a speach about you and pancreatic cancer for my 4-H project!
There are many great quotes here but my favorites were “loyalty is a 2 way street” and don’t bail, the gold is at the bottom of the barrel.
Sometimes to be successful you have to have faith and keep persisting.
Great work, man, great work.
A lot of bad things happen to me when i was a young girl. A lot of what he (Randy) said is true. You cant change the cards you are dealt with, just how YOU play the game. I just kept bouncing back up (like Tigger) and say, is that all?— You have to, for your sanity. I know I am a “Tigger”. I have learned to get up and fight for my life.
Subagio: Thanks for the quotes!
this is an awesome book im only 21 chapters in though
My favorite part, was when he was going to start his speech, he did push-ups saying he’s healthier than the rest…
God bless Randy Pausch
i love the quote that says we can’t change the cards we are delt, just how to play the hand. when i watched this with my class, my teacher told us that that was the most important lesson she wanted us to learn in life. I definatly know people who are “playing their hand” correctly. :)
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.
I know it has been 1 year two months and four days since Randy Pausch passed away and I say Rest In Peace Randy. My grandmother passed away from cancer in 2006 :(.
I would like to make some things clear. Randy never missed any opportunity to offer his kids something more. He left behind a legacy that will be remembered for hundreds of years to come. Every one of his children will know how brave and inspirational he truly was. Almost anyone they know or will meet will have, in a way, known who their father was. Randy fought cancer and still had the best time of his life while he was dying. His message is not intended to be a head fake to feel sorrow for him. He really did want to be remembered and he is. He also wants us to make the best out of our life as he did.
Also, remember what the head fake is. He didn’t mean to try and achieve your goals. He meant its leading your life in the right direction, even if you don’t accomplish your greatest dream.
“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.”
R.I.P my Grandma and Randy Pausch
His legacy should be celebrated. His life should be celebrated. When a person passes away, their life should be celebrated by remembering all the good times. Lamenting simply puts more hardships on us. He humored until his last day. Lets not lament and lets thank this guy for inspiring so many people. This guy has inspired millions of people. His legacy will remain here for decades to come.
Randy was a great man. He is one of those people I would have loved to have an intelligent conversation with. RIP good sir. You will never be forgotten. May he live on within the souls he touched and inside the hearts of his family.
love the lecture!! know i am late to this party but i too was surfing for my mothers’ xmas gift(she was raped as a child and things went downhill from there until she slowly turned HER destiny around- only to be 64 looking at yet more painful opportunities to call “experiences” as randy would say, i imagine~ that being put right on out there now-i feel she,like anyoen ,will benefit from learning and re-learning the things randy teaches. possibly the whole lecture could have begun and ended with the quote “you can’t change…..” but it really is all very beautiful- i do not think God(??)meant for us to only see beauty in the pretty things,and the things that all go right,but also in the way fueding neighbors embrace while watching one of their homes burn~
and while i have no interest in “picking teams”, i would like to say to mr littlefield, i am inspired a well by YOUR comment!eloquently stated and worded! i can only begin to HOPE to aspire to your level of insight,and even more so your concise but brilliant way of communicating it!
i am impressed,inspired,and saddend,as well as encouraged to implement some of these new ways of looking at and coping with this world!
thank you randy,and where you are i know you smile,godspeed!
to all- we can do it,we can pull each other up instead of push each other down,can’t we?
I’m finally writing the acknowledgements of my M.S. in C.S. thesis report… I could’t forget to mention Randy on it… He was an inspiration during so many difficult moments of myself while doing my research… I will always refer to this great man to my future kids, grandkids…
So I got a my favorite quote from him and it will be in the first page of the acknowledgements…
I am hopeful and inspired that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I will lead a better life…
Nice Sharing! This is very inspiring:
“The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”
nice list of quotes there :)
i wish i had a lecture like that when i was in school