“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” — Randy PauschA lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to … If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave–“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”–wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.
In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.
more
His lecture is more inspired than this bloated rehashing of what he said so well. I found it maudlin and, because I loved the lecture so very much, this book felt contrived and forced.
Stellar personal coaching
A look at what’s important in life, written by Randy Pausch, a young father and a professor at Carnegie-Mellon University, as he faces pancreatic cancer. Written with an optimism that belies the gravity of the diagnosis, Pausch faces his future frankly. This book is wonderful!
One of my all time favorite reads.
Couldn’t put it down. Very touching!
I have purchased this book for multiple people, absolutely think everyone should read it.
Thought-provoking!
I love this book so much!!! I read every year as a reminder to slow down and enjoy life. Give this book as a gift quite often.
A tender and moving book!
A great book. Should be required reading in schools.
It is a wonderful book on how Randy Pausch dealt with his illness, maintained a positive attitude and provided what he learnt in life as lessons for us to learn from.
No words