Quotes from Randy Pausch

I'd compare college tuition to paying for a personal trainer at an athletic club. We professors play the roles of trainers, giving people access to the equipment (books, labs, our expertise) and after that, it is our job to be demanding.

If you want something bad enough, never give up (and take a boost when offered).

If she doesn't really love you, then it's over. And if she does love you, then love will win out.

Walls aren't put in our life to stop us, they are there to test how much we really want somthing.

A coach yells at the kid he thinks can improve but the coach will not yell at the kid who he/she knows won't.

I'm dying and I'm having fun.

If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

The fact that fashion goes out of fashion and then comes back into fashion based solely on what a few people somewhere think they can sell, well to me, that's insanity.

Well, you can't have just some of me, Jai," I told her. "You appreciate the part of me that didn't get angry because two 'things' we own got hurt. But the flip side of that is my belief that you don't repair things if they still do what they're supposed to do. The cars still work. Let's just drive 'em.

Take Time Out. It's not a real vacation if you're reading email or calling in for messages.

Not everything needs to be fixed

We can't change it. We have to decide how we'll respond.

The great thing about working out at a gym is that if you put in effort, you get very obvious results. The same should be true of college. A professor's job is to teach students how to see their minds growing in the same way they can see their muscles grow when they look in a mirror.

Throughout my academic career, I'd given some pretty good talks. But being considered the best speaker in the computer science department is like being known as the tallest of the Seven Dwarfs. And right then, I had the feeling that I had more in me, that if I gave it my all, I might be able to offer people something special. "Wisdom" is a strong word, but maybe that was it.

I don't suffer from an abundance of politeness.

Because you're such a good salesman, and if you go work for a company, they're going to use you as a salesman. If you're going to be a salesman, you might as well be selling something worthwhile, like education

Whatever news we get about the scans, I'm not going to die when we hear it. I won't die the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. So today, right now, well this is a wonderful day. And I want you to know how much I'm enjoying it." I thought about that, and about Jai's smile. I knew then. That's the way the rest of my life would need to be lived.

As I see it, if you work more hours than somebody else, during those hours you learn more about your craft. That can make you more efficient, more able, even happier. Hard work is like compounded interest in the bank. The rewards build faster.

Failure is not just acceptable, it's often essential." The Last Lecture

If you want something badly enough, do not give up!

Everyone has to contribute to the common good. To not do so can be described in one word: selfish.

Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity.

If you love her, support her.

Just because you're in the driver seat, doesn't mean you have to run people over.