Quotes from Randy Pausch

Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity.

Luck is what happens, when preparation meets opportunity

I've said my piece. My time now is entirely focused on family.

Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.

I've never understood pity and self-pity as an emotion.

Are you a fun-loving Tigger or a sad-sack Eeyore? Pick a camp. I think it's clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate!

Believe nothing a man tells you and everything he shows you

Smelling a crayon takes you right back to childhood. When I need to go back in time, I put it under my nose and take another hit.

Anything is possible, and that's something we should not lose sight of. The inspiration and the permission to dream is huge.

Don't complain; just work harder.

Never lose the childlike wonder. Show gratitude... Don't complain; just work harder... Never give up.

Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. You've got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn't going to work.

Work hard. I got tenure a year early. Junior faculty members used to say to me: 'Wow, what's your secret?' I said: 'It's pretty simple. Call me any Friday night in my office at 10 o'clock, and I'll tell you.'

The metaphor I've used is... somebody's going to push my family off a cliff pretty soon, and I won't be there to catch them. And that breaks my heart. But I have some time to sew some nets to cushion the fall. So, I can curl up in a ball and cry, or I can get to work on the nets.

Chemo days make me tired, though it's hard to say that's because of the chemo when you have kids who have inherited their dad's usual energy level.

We need to make sure our students are exerting themselves. We need to praise them when they deserve it and to tell them honestly when they have it in them to work harder.

I feel like I'm waiting on something that isn't going to happen Don't complain; just work harder.

Complaining does not work as a strategy.

I have never thought of writing as hard work, but I have worked hard to find a voice.

until you got ice cream spilled on you, you're not doing field work

If you can find your footing between two cultures, sometimes you can have the best of both worlds.

The best gift an educator can give is to get somebody to become self reflective.

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.

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.