The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

I enjoyed this book very much, lots of great tidbits to ponder as Pausch shared his last lecture knowing he had just months left to live. He was a visionary man who focused on his childhood dreams and how he had lived those dreams even in his relatively short life and used this venue to leave behind a piece of himself and some words of wisdom for his three children ages 5 and under. I borrowed this from the library, but am considering picking a copy up to give my son as he ventures off to college and into life on his own.

Some great quotes:

"The instinct in our house was never to sit around like slobs and wonder. We knew a better way: Open the encyclopedia. Open the dictionary. Open your mind" (22).

(It's a good thing to be criticized and corrected) "because when you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you" (37).

"Shatner was the ultimate example of a man who knew what he didn't know, was perfectly willing to admit it, and didn't want to leave until he understood. That's heroic to me" (45).

"Brick walls are there for a reason. They're not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something" (52).

"It's such a shame that people perceive you as being so arrogant, because it's going to limit what you're going to be able to accomplish in life" (68).

"The only way any of us can improve 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?" (112).

"I know you're smart. But everyone here is smart. Smart isn't enough. The kind of people I want on my research team (or anywhere) are those who will help everyone else feel happy to be here" (118).

"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" (146).

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted" (148).