Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch
Randolph Frederick "Randy" Pauschwas an American professor of computer science, human–computer interaction, and design at Carnegie Mellon Universityin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTeacher
Date of Birth23 October 1950
CityBaltimore, MD
CountryUnited States of America
cannot change
We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the game.
ball breaks catch cliff curl cushion family metaphor push sew time work
The metaphor I've used is... somebody's going to push my family off a cliff pretty soon, and I won't be there to catch them. And that breaks my heart. But I have some time to sew some nets to cushion the fall. So, I can curl up in a ball and cry, or I can get to work on the nets.
die few hard kids last lemonade lemons particular physically squeeze
The particular way I'm going to die is not going to be particularly pleasant. It will probably be physically uncomfortable, and it won't be an easy thing for my wife and kids to watch. I think it will be a real challenge to see if I can squeeze the lemons hard enough to still get lemonade the last few weeks.
I've never understood pity and self-pity as an emotion.
doctor great helps relish took
My mother took great relish in introducing me as 'This is my son - he's a doctor but not the kind that helps people.'
beat tried
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.
field games knew played scoreboard walk
I played in football games where you walk off the field and the scoreboard didn't end up the way you wanted. But you knew that you really did give it all. And the other team was too strong.
life
There's nothing about my life that I would have changed.
grow health measured months success
Success is measured in months for me. When my health fails, it will fail quickly. Tumors grow on an exponential curve.
kids
If your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor to me, let 'em do it.
entirely family time
I've said my piece. My time now is entirely focused on family.
choosing dying
I am dying soon, and I am choosing to have fun today, tomorrow and every other day I have left.
I will take an earnest person over a hip person every day, because hip is short-term, earnest is long-term.
labs miraculous people
I'm a professor. I know that people in research labs can do miraculous things if they're given the resources.