Randy Pausch Quotes

American professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design

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Dr. Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) was a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States and a best-selling author, who achieved worldwide fame for his speech The Last Lecture at Carnegie Mellon University, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and having only a few months to live.

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Alternative Names: Randy Frederick Pausch • Randy F. Pausch • Randolph Frederick Pausch

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

Everyone has Good and Bad Times. Find your creative/thinking time. Defend it ruthlessly, spend it alone, maybe at home. Find your dead time. Schedule meetings, phone calls, and mundane stuff during it.

Complaining does not work as a strategy.

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.

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.

"We can't change it. We just have to decide how we'll respond. We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand" - From The Last Lecture Randy Pauch

I’m aware that Chloe may have no memory of me at all. She’s too young. But I want her to grow up knowing that I was the first man ever to fall in love with her.

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.

The Last Lecture · April 8, 2008 Verified in 2 sources · 1 more available Sign up to see the complete provenance

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You can always change your plan, but only if you have one.."

"What is the most appropriate thing to say to a friend who was about to die. He answered:”tell your friend that in his death, a part of you dies and goes with him. Whenever he goes, you also g. He will not be alone".

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

The person who failed often knows how to avoid future failures.

Sometimes, all you have to do is ask, and it can lead to all your dreams coming true.

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.

When you do the right thing, good stuff has a way of happening.