Last Lecture

A wonderful man passed away today. Randy Pausch, the professor, the speaker, the author and the family man was beloved by America and beyond after he gave his "Last Lecture." When it was put on youtube, he was a phenomenon. He then released a book while still fighting for his life: he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September of 2006, and passed early today. If you have not seen the video, click here.

I really recommend reading the book. It is actually the last book that I have read, and it was incredibly inspiring. It is about the speech, but he goes so much more in depth that it really lets you see how wise this man was. I also really love how he professed himself as a "nerd." Nerds are cool too, see?

Here are a few terrific quotes from the book and the man:

- Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people.

- If there’s anything I want to do so badly, I should have already done it.

- Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted

- It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.

- Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I’m dying and I’m having fun. And I’m going to keep having fun every day, because there’s no other way to play it….Having fun for me is like a fish talking about the importance of water. I don’t know how it is like not to have fun…

- Never lose the child-like wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what drives us. Help others.

- Better to fail spectacularly than do something mediocre.