Randy Pausch famous quotes

Coach Graham rode you pretty hard, didn't he?" he said. I could barely muster a "yeah." That's a good thing," the assistant told me. When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, it means they've given up on you.
-- Randy Pausch

#Mean #Say Anything #Assistants

The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have.
-- Randy Pausch

#Inspirational #Live Life #Positivity

educators best serve students by helping them be more self-reflective. The only way any of us can improve—as Coach Graham taught me—is if we develop a real ability to assess ourselves. If we can’t accurately do that, how can we tell if we’re getting better or worse?
-- Randy Pausch

#Real #Self #Get Better

There's a lot of talk these days about giving children self-esteem. It's not something you can give; it's something they have to build.
-- Randy Pausch

#Inspirational #Teacher #Children

Never give up: There are certain times that you think, 'OK, you have beaten me down to my knees. And now the challenge is, I am on my knees and you keep on beating me down. And the question is, are you going to keep beating me all the way to the ground or will I find a way to struggle my way back on to my feet.
-- Randy Pausch

#Perseverance #Giving Up #Struggle

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
-- Randy Pausch

#Positive #Play #Hands

Believe nothing a man tells you and everything he shows you
-- Randy Pausch

#Life #Believe #Men

The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.
-- Randy Pausch

#Inspirational #Strength #Perseverance

Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress. When you're pissed off at someone and you're angry at them, you just haven't given them enough time. Just give them a little more time and they almost always will impress you.
-- Randy Pausch

#Inspiring #Compassion #Long

Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.
-- Randy Pausch

#Inspirational #Thank You #Gratitude

A parent's job is to encourage kids to develop a joy for life and a great urge to follow their own dreams. The best we can do is to help thm develop a personal set of tools for the task.
-- Randy Pausch

#Family #Dream #Jobs

When we're connected to others, we become better people.
-- Randy Pausch

#People #Connected

There's a lot of talk these days about giving children self-esteem. It's not something you can give; it's something they have to build. Coach Graham worked in a no-coddling zone. Self-esteem? He knew there was really only one way to teach kids how to develop it: You give them something they can't do, they work hard until they find they can do it, and you just keep repeating the process.
-- Randy Pausch

#Children #Self Esteem #Kids

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?
-- Randy Pausch

#Hurt #Apology #Three

No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse. At the same time, it is often within your power to make them better
-- Randy Pausch

#Matter

When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you.
-- Randy Pausch

#Life #Mean #Say Anything

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.
-- Randy Pausch

#Country #Responsibility #Talking

If I could only give three words of advice, they would be, 'Tell the truth.' If I got three more words, I'd add: 'All the time.'
-- Randy Pausch

#Honesty #Giving #Advice

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

#Dream #Inspiration #Sight

We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn't matter. Life is to be lived.
-- Randy Pausch

#Long #Matter #Life Is

You will not find your passion in things and you will not find your passion in money. The more things and the more money you have, the more you will look around and use that as the metric and there will be someone with more.
-- Randy Pausch

#Passion #Use #Metrics

Look for the best in everybody
-- Randy Pausch

#Looks

If you have a question, then find the answer.
-- Randy Pausch

#Answers

Are you a Tigger or an Eyore?
-- Randy Pausch

#Tigger

Do not tell people how to live their lives. Just tell them stories and they will figure out how those stories apply to them.
-- Randy Pausch

#Life #People #Stories

When there’s an elephant in the room introduce him.
-- Randy Pausch

#Elephants #Rooms #Introducing

It's not about how to achieve your dreams, it's about how to lead your life, ... If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.
-- Randy Pausch

#Life #Inspiring #Karma

We don't beat the reaper by living longer, but by living well, and living fully - for the reaper will come for all of us. The question is: what do we do between the time we're born and the time he shows up.
-- Randy Pausch

#Life #Beats #Born

My colleague told me: "It took a long time, but I finally figured it out. When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it's really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do.
-- Randy Pausch

#Simple #Men #Long

Its important to have specific dreams. Dream Big. Dream without fear.
-- Randy Pausch

#Dream #Live Life #Goal

Believe nothing a man tells you and everything he shows you"....(Taken from a farewell video from a dying father to his infant daughter on dating)
-- Randy Pausch

#Daughter #Father #Believe

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.
-- Randy Pausch

#Funny #Life #Investing

Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.
-- Randy Pausch

#Fun #Having Fun #Underestimate

Too many people go through life complaining about their problems. I've always believed that if you took one tenth the enrgy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you'd be surprised by how well things can work out.
-- Randy Pausch

#Inspirational #Work Out #People

Time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think.
-- Randy Pausch

#Life #Thinking #One Day

Give yourself permission to dream. Fuel your kids' dreams too. Once in a while, that might even mean letting them stay up past their bedtimes.
-- Randy Pausch

#Dream #Mean #Kids

The questions are always more important than the answers.
-- Randy Pausch

#Wisdom #Learning #Important

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.
-- Randy Pausch

#Attitude #Love You #May

There are more ways than one to measure profits and losses.
-- Randy Pausch

#Loss #Way #Profit

Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.
-- Randy Pausch

#Success #Tables #Welcome

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.
-- Randy Pausch

#Success #Failure #Overcoming Adversity

No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse.
-- Randy Pausch

#Adversity #Optimistic #Hard Times

We don't beat the Reaper by living longer. We beat the Reaper by living well.
-- Randy Pausch

#Beats #Reaper #Live Well

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

#Thank You #Gratitude #Giving Up

Remember brick walls let us show our dedication. They are there to separate us from the people who don't really want to achieve their childhood dreams.
-- Randy Pausch

#Dream #Wall #Dedication

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

#Happiness #Success #Peace

Go out and do for others what somebody did for you.
-- Randy Pausch

If I work hard enough, there will be things I can do tomorrow that I can't do today.
-- Randy Pausch

#Hard Work #Today #Tomorrow

When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody's bothering to tell you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics are the ones telling you they still love you and care.
-- Randy Pausch

#Love You #Care #Critics

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

#Wall #Tests #Want

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

#Giving Up #Want #Enough

It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our death bed. It is the things we do not.
-- Randy Pausch

#Life #Regret #Bed

Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I'm a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst case scenario. I call it 'the eaten by wolves factor.' If I do something, what's the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist, is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of things I don't worry about, because I have a plan in place if they do.
-- Randy Pausch

#Attitude #Thinking #Worry

No job is beneath you. You ought to be thrilled you got a job in the mailroom And when you get there, here's what you do: Be really great at sorting mail.
-- Randy Pausch

#Jobs #Mail #Sorting

A good apology is like antibiotic, a bad apology is like rubbing salt in the wound.
-- Randy Pausch

#Apology #Antibiotics #Salt

Engineering isn't about perfect solutions; it's about doing the best you can with limited resources.
-- Randy Pausch

#Engineering #Perfect #Limited Resources

Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.
-- Randy Pausch

#Oxygen #Mask

Find the best in everybody. Just keep waiting no matter how long it takes. No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side, just keep waiting, it will come out.
-- Randy Pausch

#Long #Evil #Waiting

It's not how hard you hit. It's how hard you get hit...and keep moving forward.
-- Randy Pausch

#Moving Forward #Moving #Keep Moving Forward

Never lose the child like wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what drives us. Help others.
-- Randy Pausch

#Children #Helping Others #Important

Follow your passions, believe in karma, and you won't have to chase your dreams, they will come to you.
-- Randy Pausch

#Inspirational #Karma #Dream

A lot of people want a shortcut. I find the best shortcut is the long way, which is basically two words: work hard.
-- Randy Pausch

#Success #Determination #Hard Work

Call home at least once a week. It's a proven fact that we call home less the older we get. And that's wrong. It should be the other way around. As we get older, our parents get older.
-- Randy Pausch

#Home #Parent #Way

What he said was: "You obviously don't know where the bar should be, and you're only going to do a disservice by putting it anywhere." And boy was that good advice. Because what he said was, you obviously don't know where the bar should be, and you're only going to do them a disservice by putting it anywhere.
-- Randy Pausch

#Boys #Advice #Bars

I know that people in research labs can do miraculous things if they're given the resources.
-- Randy Pausch

#People #Research #Labs

The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people!
-- Randy Pausch

#Wall #Inspirational Life #People

The number one goal of teachers should be to help students learn how to learn.
-- Randy Pausch

#Teacher #Teaching #Numbers

Show gratitude. Gratitude is a simple but powerful thing.
-- Randy Pausch

#Gratitude #Powerful #Simple

Don't bail; the best pieces of gold are at the bottom of the barrel of crap.
-- Randy Pausch

#Inspiring #Gold #Pieces

The best way to teach somebody something is to have them think they're learning something else.
-- Randy Pausch

#Teaching #Thinking #Way

It's easy to be smart when you are parodying smart people.
-- Randy Pausch

#Smart #People #Easy

I am going to keep having fun every day I have left, because there is no other way of life. You just have to decide whether you are a Tigger or an Eeyore.
-- Randy Pausch

#Fun #Having Fun #Way

Anybody can get chewed out. It's the rare person who says, oh my god, you were right. As opposed to, no wait, the reason is... We've all heard that
-- Randy Pausch

#Waiting #Reason #Heard

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

#Legacy #Want #Tomorrow

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

#Love You #Winning #Doe

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

#Selfish #Common #Common Good

Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity.
-- Randy Pausch

#Opportunity #Preparation #Luck

Brick walls are there for reason. And once you get over them-- even if someone has practically had to throw you over-- it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it.
-- Randy Pausch

#Wall #Bricks #Helpful

The size of your audience doesn't matter. What's important is that your audience is listening.
-- Randy Pausch

#Listening #Important #Matter

Read at least one book a month. This is self-serving, obviously. It's a proven fact that people who read buy more books than people who don't read. In truth, I wish you'd read ten books a month, or at least buy that many.
-- Randy Pausch

#Book #Self #People

Being successful doesn't make you manage your time well. Managing your time well makes you successful!
-- Randy Pausch

#Time #Successful #Wells

The most difficult part of writing a book is not devising a plot which will captivate the reader. It's not developing characters the reader will have strong feelings for or against. It is not finding a setting which will take the reader to a place he or she as never been. It is not the research, whether in fiction or non-fiction. The most difficult task facing a writer is to find the voice in which to tell the story.
-- Randy Pausch

#Strong #Book #Character

Advice is very easy to give, and even easier not to follow, so I don't fool with it.
-- Randy Pausch

#Giving #Advice #Fool

I always thought every day was a gift, but now I am looking for where to send the thank you note.
-- Randy Pausch

#Thank You #Notes #Thank You Note

It's interesting, the secrets you decide to reveal at the end of your life.
-- Randy Pausch

#Interesting #Secret #Ends

You will need to find your passion. Don't give up on finding it because then all you're doing is waiting for the Reaper.
-- Randy Pausch

#Inspirational #Giving Up #Passion

Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you.
-- Randy Pausch

#Patience #Long #People

The best gift an educator can give, to get somebody to become self-reflective.
-- Randy Pausch

#Self #Giving #Educator

Find your passion and follow it. You wont find that passion in things or money. Your passion must come from what fuels you from the inside. It will be grounded in the relationships you have with people and what they think of you when your time comes.
-- Randy Pausch

#Passion #Thinking #People

Let other people finish their sentences when they’re talking.
-- Randy Pausch

#Talking #People #Sentences

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

#Hard Work #Writing #Voice

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,
-- Randy Pausch

#Hard Work #Needs #Students

Time is the only commodity that matters.
-- Randy Pausch

#Time Management #Matter #Management

Remember how quickly our field [computer science] changes. That's why you want to focus on learning things that don't change: how to work well with other people, how to carefully assess a client's real - as opposed to perceived - needs, and things like that.
-- Randy Pausch

#Real #Science #People

Be good at something. It makes you valuable.
-- Randy Pausch

#Be Good #Valuable

You just have to decide if you're a Tigger or an Eeyore.
-- Randy Pausch

#Tigger

Find the best in everybody, no matter how long you have to wait for them to show it
-- Randy Pausch

#Long #Waiting #Matter

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

#Hard Work #Waiting #Complaining

I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children. If I were a painter, I would have painted for them. If I were a musician, I would have composed music. But I am a lecturer. So I lectured,
-- Randy Pausch

#Beach #Children #Trying

One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose.
-- Randy Pausch

#Risk #Management #Hell