Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

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

"Please don't die."

"I’d compare college tuition to paying for a personal trainer at an athletic club. We professors play the roles of trainers, giving people access to the equipment (books, labs, our expertise) and after that, it is our job to be demanding."

"Please don't die."

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

"I was hugely impressed... 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. I wish every grad student had that attitude."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse."