Randy Pausch > Quotes

“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.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― Randy Pausch

“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.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have. ”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― Randy Pausch

“Time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― Randy Pausch

“No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse. ”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you.”
― Randy Pausch

“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. ”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“Follow your passions, believe in karma, and you won't have to chase your dreams, they will come to you.”
― Randy Pausch

“Its important to have specific dreams. Dream Big. Dream without fear.”
― Randy Pausch

“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. ”
― Randy Pausch

“It's not how hard you hit. It's how hard you get hit...and keep moving forward.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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)”
― Randy Pausch

“The questions are always more important than the answers.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“My colleague told me: "It took a long time, but I finally figured it out. 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.”
― Randy Pausch

“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.”
― Randy Pausch

“When we're connected to others, we become better people.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“A good apology is like antibiotic, a bad apology is like rubbing salt in the wound.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“When there’s an elephant in the room introduce him.”
― Randy Pausch

“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.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“People are more important than things.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“Don’t complain; just work harder.”
― Randy Pausch

“Are you a Tigger or an Eyore?”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“You can always change you plan, but only if you have one.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.”
― Randy Pausch

“One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“I'm sorry.
It's my fault.
How do I make it right?”
― Randy Pausch

“Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I'm a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst case scenario. I call it 'the eaten by wolves factor.' If I do something, what's the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist, is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of things I don't worry about, because I have a plan in place if they do.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― 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, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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, The Last Lecture

“No job is beneath you.

You ought to be thrilled you got a job in the mailroom And when you get there, here's what you do: Be really great at sorting mail. ”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.”
― Randy Pausch

“Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. You’ve got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn’t going to work.”
― Randy Pausch

“Never lose the child like wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what drives us. Help others.”
― Randy Pausch

“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.”
― Randy Pausch

“I know you're smart. But everyone here is smart. Smart isn't enough. The kind of people I want on my research team are those who will help everyone feel happy to be here. ”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

“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, The Last Lecture