Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

  • While I could easily feel sorry for myself, that wouldn't do them, or me, any good.
  • All parents want to teach their children right from wrong, what we think is important, and how to deal with the challenges life will bring. We also want them to know some stories from our own lives, often as a way to teach them how to lead theirs.
  • Engineering isn't about perfect solutions; it's about doing the best you can with limited resources.
  • If you can dream it, you can do it.
  • We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
  • If you dispense your own wisdom, others often dismiss it; if you offer wisdom from a third party, it seems less arrogant and more acceptable.
  • Never make a decision until you have to.
  • Just because you're in the driver's seat doesn't mean yo have to run people over.
  • Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.
  • 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.
  • I don't believe in the no-win scenario.
  • 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.
  • It's easy to look smart when you're parroting smart people.
  • Sometimes, the most impenetrable brick walls are made of flesh.
  • Even fairy-tale moments have risks.
  • Automobiles are there to get you from point A to point B. They are utilitarian devices, not expressions of social status.
  • Not everything needs to be fixed.
  • It's not helpful if we spend every day dreading tomorrow.
  • 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.
  • Everybody loves telling stories. It's one of the truly universal things about our species.
  • 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.

6/4/2008

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