The Last Lecture

by Randy Pausch

I thought hard about how I defined myself: as a teacher, a computer scientist, a husband, a father, a son, a friend, a brother, a mentor to my students. Those were all roles I valued. But did any of those roles really set me apart?

Walt Disney himself, who famously had said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

He’d also warn me that even if I was in a position of strength, whether at work or in relationships, I had to play fair. “Just because you’re in the driver’s seat,” he’d say, “doesn’t mean you have to run people over.”

Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.

if you can find an opening, you can probably find a way to float through it.

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

When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a bad place to be.

Shatner, was the ultimate example of a man who knew what he didn’t know, was perfectly willing to admit it, and didn’t want to leave until he understood.

Tenacity is a virtue, but it’s not always crucial for everyone to observe how hard you work at something.

The brick walls are there for a reason. They’re not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.

He was proof that, sometimes, the most impenetrable brick walls are made of flesh.

I tend to say what I’m thinking and what I believe. I don’t have much patience for incompetence.

These are traits that have mostly served me well. But there are times, believe it or not, when I’ve come across as arrogant and tactless. That’s when those who can help you recalibrate yourself become absolutely crucial.

“...The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”

“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.”

Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something.

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium,

Time must be explicitly managed, like money.

Ask yourself: Are you spending your time on the right things? You may have causes, goals, interests.

Develop a good filing system.

I make sure I am never on hold with a phone against my ear. I always use a speaker phone, so my hands are free to do something else.

Delegate.

Take a time out. It’s not a real vacation if you’re reading email or calling in for messages.

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

“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 else feel happy to be here.”

Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity.

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.

Meet people properly:

Make sure you can pronounce everyone’s names.

Find things you have ...

Try for optimal meeting conditions: Make sure no one is hungry, cold or tired.

Let everyone talk: Don’t finish someone’s sentences.

Check egos at the door: When you discuss ideas, label them and write them down.

Praise each other: Find something nice to say, even if it’s a stretch.

Phrase alternatives as questions: Instead of “I think we should do A, not B,” try “What if we did A, instead of B?”

“people will show you their good side. Almost everybody has a good side. Just keep waiting. It will come out.”

Dance with the one who brung you.

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

“First Penguin” winners were losers who were definitely going somewhere.

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.

He changed my life. I could never adequately pay him back, so I just have to pay it forward.

Another way to be prepared is to think negatively.

If I do something, what’s the most terrible thing that could happen?

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?

“you’re only as good as your word,”

Some people call this the “communitarian” movement, but I call it common sense.

Each of us must decide: Am I a fun-loving Tigger or am I a sad-sack Eeyore? Pick a camp.

“Tell your friend that in his death, a part of you dies and goes with him. Wherever he goes, you also go. He will not be alone.”

Kids, don’t try to figure out what I wanted you to become. I want you to become what you want to become.