The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch
Summary
Short stories of a professor who had terminal illness. The book, which is a complete transcript of his presentation, cover many moments that affect his life in his childhood, university student, work life and relationship. He set his dreams when he was a child, and commit to them since then. A great inspiration for anyone, especially who works with computer like me.
Quotes
Relationship
Don’t finish someone’s sentences. And talking louder or faster doesn’t make your idea any better.
If you wait long enough, people will surprise and impress you.
Watch What They Do, Not What They Say
A Bad Apology Is Worse Than No Apology
Proper apologies have three parts:
- What I did was wrong
- I feel badly that I hurt you
- How do I make this better?
Living
The brick walls are there for a reason. They’re not there to keep us out. The brink walls are there to give us a chance to how how badly we want something.
Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.
Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.
Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity.
Even if in a position of strength, whether at work or in relationships, you have to play fair. Just because you’re in a driver’s seat, doesn’t mean you have to run people over.
If your car has a dent, you don’t have to have it removed. It could be a statement of who you are. Not everything needs to be fixed.
Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.
If I could give three words of advice, they would be “tell the truth.” If I got three more words, I’d add: “All the time.”
We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
I mean, I don’t know how not to have fun. I’m dying and I’m having fun. And I’m going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because there’s no other way to play it.
Am I a fun-loving Tigger or am I a sad-sack Eeyore? Pick a camp. I think it’s clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate.
Sometimes, all you have to do is ask.
Working
A lot of people want a shortcut. I find the best shortcut is the long way, which is basically two words: work hard.
Time must be explicitly managed, like money.
Ask yourself: Are you spending your time on the right things?
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.
It’s not how hard you hit. It’s how hard you get hit …and keep moving forward.
Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later. (This is now known as “Brooks Law”)