The Last Lecture

by Randy Pausch

“That is what it is. We can’t change it. We just have to decide how we’ll respond. We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

Fundamentals. That was a great gift Coach Graham gave us. Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. As a college professor, I’ve seen this as one lesson so many kids ignore, always to their detriment: You’ve got to get the fundamentals down, because otherwise the fancy stuff is not going to work.

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

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.

he made me realize that if I work hard enough, there will be things I can do tomorrow that I can’t do today.

Chris and Laura would say, “This isn’t the shape of the animal I wanted.” But that allowed us to look at the pancake as it was, and imagine what animal it might be.

Dylan’s birth was a reminder to me of the roles we get to play in our destinies. Jai and I could have made things worse by falling into pieces. She could have gotten so hysterical that she’d thrown herself into shock. I could have been so stricken that I’d have been no help in the operating room.

Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.

Rocky was an inspiration because he reminded me: It’s not how hard you hit. It’s how hard you get hit ...and keep moving forward.

EXPERIENCE IS what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.

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.

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.

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. Rights have to come from somewhere, and they come from the community. In return, all of us have a responsibility to the community.

When we’re connected to others, we become better people.