The Last Lecture: Lessons in Living by Randy Pausch is a story of the author himself and how his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer gave him the determination to live his final months of life to the fullest. The book is a collection of his ideas from his lecture at Carnegie Mellon shortly before his death. Randy Pausch was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and, like many of us, he always had big dreams. The story begins with the author outlining his childhood dreams and which ones came to be and the others that did not. From there, Pausch explains his life story and reveals the important pieces of advice he learned. Listed below are some of my favorite lessons from the book. Even without context, at least one of these quotes will resonate with you.

Most Important Lessons

Chapter 7- “The second kind of head fake is the really important one—the one that teaches people things they don’t realize they’re learning until well into the process. If you’re a head-fake specialist, your hidden objective is to get them to learn sometime you want them to learn” (pg 39).

Chapter 9: “I don’t believe in the no-win scenario,” said William Shatner as Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series” (pg 46).

Chapter 15: “People are more important than things” (pg 70).

Chapter 16: “Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something” (pg 79).

Chapter 18: “Not everything needs to be fixed” (pg 87).

Chapter 23: “Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less time than you think” (pg 111).

Chapter 32- “Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier” (pg 139).

Chapter 38- “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” (pg 147).

Chapter 38- “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right” (pg 147).

Chapter 43- “All my adult life I’ve felt drawn to ask long-married couples how they were able to stay together. All of them said the same thing: “We worked hard at it” (pg 156).

Chapter 53- “Brick walls are there for a reason. And once you get over them—even if someone has practically had to throw you over—it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it” (pg 174).

Chapter 55- “Sometimes all you have to do is ask, and it can lead to all your dreams coming true” (pg 179).

Pausch emphasizes the people who helped positively impact his life for the better. From his loving parents to his tough-nosed 3rd-grade football coach, he explained how they all had a lasting impact on his life. And conversely, Paush always made an effort to have a positive impact on others. As a professor, he continually tried to motivate his students to be better people and push the envelope of what they thought they were capable of. Additionally, as a husband, he learned how to fight for his love with his wife, Jai. When the two of them struggled to grasp the reality of his diagnosis, they learned to be there for each other. Finally, as a father, Paush learned to make the most of his time with his three, young children. While his children will have little memory of their father, he did not let that stop him from enjoying his last moments with them and leaving them videos and letters for them to see when they were older.

My favorite lesson from the book was his last one. In the final moments of his presentation, he decided to deliver a surprise ending. “So today’s talk was about achieving childhood dreams,” Pausch announces to the audience. “But did you figure out the head fake? “ The room went silent with anticipation. “ 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 true to you.” In closing, he asked his final question, “Have you figured out the second head fake?” The crowd fell silent again, “It wasn’t just for those in this room, it was for my kids.” This book is a reminder to lead your life joyously for yourself and the people you are blessed to meet along the way. Don’t forget, we never know how much time we have left, so we might as well make the most of it.