A biography for Randy Pauschhasn’t been written yet.
“Fuel your kids' dreams. Sometimes, that means letting them stay up past their bedtimes.”
“I'm not going to beat the cancer. I tried really hard... but sometimes you're just not going to beat the thing... I wanted to walk off the stage and say anything I thought was important; I had my hour.”
“You can't get there alone. People have to help you, and I do believe in karma. I believe in paybacks. You get people to help you by telling the truth, by being earnest.”
“If your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor to me, let 'em do it.”
“Cancer didn't change me at all. I know lots of people talk about the life revelation. I didn't have that.”
“I am going to keep having fun every day I have left, because there is no other way of life. You just have to decide whether you are a Tigger or an Eeyore.”
“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.”
“We don't beat the reaper by living longer, we beat the reaper by living well and living fully.”
“If you are hopeful, if you are optimistic, other people want to help you. And if you are down in the dumps, other people may still help you, but I've noticed that they're walking, not running, over to you.”
“I always thought every day was a gift, but now I am looking for where to send the thank you note.”
“Want to have a short phone call with someone? Call them at 11:55 a.m., right before lunch. They'll talk fast. You may think you are interesting, but you are not more interesting than lunch.”
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the game.”
“If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you.”
“Pretty much any time I got a chance to do something cool, I tried to grab for it, and that's where my solace comes from.”
“It's 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.”
“I've decided to tell my kids things like: 'I love the way each of you tilted back your heads when you laughed.' I will give them specific stuff they can grasp.”
“I didn't know there was a dying-professor section at the bookstore.”
“Work hard. I got tenure a year early. Junior faculty members used to say to me: 'Wow, what's your secret?' I said: 'It's pretty simple. Call me any Friday night in my office at 10 o'clock, and I'll tell you.'”
“When men are romantically interested in you, it's really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do.”
“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.”