Quotes by Randy Pausch

“This is not some little crumb that got tossed. This is the most valuable intellectual property owned by the largest video game maker in the world. For the intended demographic were trying to teach, The Sims are more valuable than the Disney library.”

“The new version that were now beginning on will gradually morph into a more traditional Java programming environment. So were talking about the training wheels gradually dropping off.”

“We found that when we targeted Alice as a storytelling vehicle, girls were three times as likely to be engaged and motivated to write computer software, as opposed to just moving 3-D characters around.”

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

When were connected to others, we become better people.

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.

When youre screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means theyve given up on you.

Its not about how to achieve your dreams, its 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.

Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress. When youre pissed off at someone and youre angry at them, you just havent given them enough time. Just give them a little more time and they almost always will impress 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.

Please dont die.

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

I was hugely impressed... was the ultimate example of a man who knew what he didnt know, was perfectly willing to admit it, and didnt want to leave until he understood. Thats heroic to me. I wish every grad student had that attitude.

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.

Its a thrill to fulfill your own childhood dreams, but as you get older, you may find that enabling the dreams of others is even more fun.

Want to have a short phone call with someone? Call them at 11:55 a.m., right before lunch. Theyll talk fast. You may think you are interesting, but you are not more interesting than lunch.

In fact, growing up, I thought there were two types of families:1) Those who need a dictionary to get through dinner.2) Those who dont.We were no. 1. Most every night, wed end up consulting the dictionary, which we kept on a shelf just six steps from the table. If you have a question, my folks would say, then find the answer.

Theres a lot of talk these days about giving children self-esteem. Its not something you can give; its something they have to build. Coach Graham worked in a no-coddling zone. Self-esteem? He knew there was really only one way to teach kids how to develop it: You give them something they cant do, they work hard until they find they can do it, and you just keep repeating the process.

The person who failed often knows how to avoid future failures. The person who knows only success can be more oblivious to all the pitfalls.

Experience is what you get when you didnt get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.