Randy Pausch Quotes

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Don’t complain; just work harder.

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

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

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

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.'

I'm sorry. It's my fault. How do I make it right?

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

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.'

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

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

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

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?

Better to fail spectacularly than do something mediocre.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Be willing to apologize. Proper apologies have three parts: 1) What I did was wrong. 2) I'm sorry that I hurt you. 3) How do I make it better? It's the third part that people tend to forget. Apologize when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

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.

Find the best in everybody. Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you. It might even take years, but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting.

I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left.

Time is the only commodity that matters.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

Sometimes you can't pay it back, so you just have to pay it forward.

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.

Go out and do for others what somebody did for you.