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Quotes from the Last Lecture: Randy Pausch has a compelling way of making his point. I loved his talk named the Last lecture. This article is a collection of a few Randy Pausch quotes from his book. In this article you’ll also find a link to his famous speech as well.

The book talks about your life’s priorities, grit, perseverance. I love the way he represents challenges through his quotes as opportunities to move forward. (More about Randy Pausch)

Randy Pausch Quotes from the Last Lecture

It was difficult to isolate this post to only 8 quotes from the last lecture. I hope you find the collection relevant, please do share your views in comments below.

You cannot change the cards you are dealt with, just the way you play

At any stage, the situation is a given. Disappointments are a part of even the most optimistic plans. When things go wrong and they often do – we have to find a way around them. Failure is only a feedback. Instead of feeling sad and playing the role of a victim, Randy Pausch goads us to look at these opportunities to move forward. (Related: How to overcome the feeling of failure?)

An injured lion still wants to roar; It is about dignity and self esteem which isn’t quite the same as vanity

Your character can’t change with circumstances. Bad situations can bring out the worst in us. There will be moments of weakness that can tempt us. It is unto us to decide what we do in such circumstances. If you want to live up to the dignity your values command, then a short term pain is worth your cause.

Forcing me to work harder whenever I feel like quitting, forcing me to be better. That is a feedback loop for life

Perseverance is one of the most common roots of success. However, I’d add one point about perseverance – you cannot win by repeating the same process. Take feedback, change your approach and keep moving forward. Make sure that you keep testing your processes. Success has a beautiful way of presenting itself when you react to situations objectively and learn from them.

The brick walls are there for a reason, they are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something

This is my favourite Randy Pausch quote. The brick walls indicate challenges in our life. They sometimes are there only to test us and know how committed we are to something. Giving up is easy and sometimes a smarter solution too. But, if you’re committed to the cause, there are more ways to keep fighting. We explore this quote – the brick walls are there for a reason in detail separately just because it is so beautiful.

People are more important than things. A car, even a pristine gem like my convertible was just a thing. It is a belief that you don’t repair things if they still do what they are supposed to do. Not everything needs to be fixed

This reminds me of Maya Angelou’s quote – people will always remember how you made them feel. Unfortunately, media and advertising around us pays too much attention to materials and things. People however are the most important thing. There’s something remarkable about being part of a tribe, a collective vision and group. Everything else compared to that is very small.

Time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think – Quotes from the last lecture

Nothing is more scarce than time. Ask any person what they wished for – most answers will lead you to time. Time, although is a fully made up concept is one of the most powerful ones indeed. It reminds us that this situation, time and environment is never going to come back. Time also makes us think about gratitude for the various things we have in life, including our challenges.

Ask those questions, just ask them. More often than you’d suspect, the answer you will get is “Sure”

Curiosity needs a constant nurture. At some point in our upbringing, we’re taught to accept things the way they are. But there’s more value in questioning and trying to find the answers. Just because things are the way they are, they don’t have to be right. We can change things and most often, people are willing to stop and think with you. All they need is a right nudge.

If you are going to be a salesman, you might as well be selling something worthwhile, like education – Randy Pausch Quotes

I’m fairly partial to education and you can see why I’ve picked this quote. However, the point here is about selling something with a purpose. Sales is an inherent part of our life – we are selling something or the other – including our views. If we couple this with genuine curiosity, authenticity, the joy of sales will be deeper.

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

This is really the ultimate truth isn’t it? And it is a perfect end to the collection of Randy Pausch quotes from the last lecture. Karma is not just about your goals, it is about who you are as a person. This is far bigger than your dreams or achievements in life. Compared to you as a person, these are very small aspects of life. If you keep bringing that to the forefront of your life, focus on personality, you can avoid the unfair obsession that dreams and goals can sometimes create.