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.’ – Randy Pausch
You can’t get there alone. People have to help you, and I do believe in karma. I believe in paybacks. You get people to help you by telling the truth, by being earnest. – Randy Pausch
Never lose the childlike wonder. Show gratitude… Don’t complain; just work harder… Never give up. – Randy Pausch
We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn’t matter. Life is to be lived. – Randy Pausch
I will take an earnest person over a hip person every day, because hip is short-term, earnest is long-term. – Randy Pausch
If you are hopeful, if you are optimistic, other people want to help you. And if you are down in the dumps, other people may still help you, but I’ve noticed that they’re walking, not running, over to you. – Randy Pausch
I think the only advice I can give you on how to live your life well is, first off, remember… it’s not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed, it is the things we do not. – Randy Pausch
I’m hanging in there, trying to spend as much quality time with my wife and kids as possible, and though it’s very frustrating to know I won’t beat the cancer, there’s a great satisfaction in knowing that I’m walking off the field with no regrets. – Randy Pausch
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. – Randy Pausch
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
Educators shouldn’t be afraid of cliches. You know why? Because kids don’t know most of them! They’re a new audience. And they’re inspired by cliches. – Randy Pausch
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. – Randy Pausch
I always thought every day was a gift, but now I am looking for where to send the thank you note. – Randy Pausch
It’s hard to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer – people who get it don’t live long enough. – Randy Pausch
Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls aren’t there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show us how badly we want things. – Randy Pausch
The particular way I’m going to die is not going to be particularly pleasant. It will probably be physically uncomfortable, and it won’t be an easy thing for my wife and kids to watch. I think it will be a real challenge to see if I can squeeze the lemons hard enough to still get lemonade the last few weeks. – Randy Pausch
I don’t know how to not have fun. I’m dying and I’m having fun, and I’m going to keep having fun every day I’ve got left. – Randy Pausch
