Who is Randy Pausch? For those of you who didn't know him, he was a professor in Carneige Mellon and tagged as a computer genius with his virtual reality concept. He was also one of the responsible person behind the Star Trek movie. But for me, as he gave his last lecture, he was a child who was able to fulfill his dream by living it and executing it wonderfully. He applied  simple rudiments in life that are most often than not are neglected. Although his life might be short-lived, I believe it was lived to the fullest.

The book 'The last lecture' was Randy Pausch's last hoorah to life. And it's now part of my life as one of my favorite books of all time. Come to think of it, there's nothing really spectacular about the book, it only reiterates realities of life that we already know. But its simplicity was its best asset and the way it was delivered and written was far more compelling because you are living and experiencing it as well. I was moved by his story and humor despite his condition.

The last lecture made me reexamine my life. I was reminded of the virtues I once had but forgotten along the way. I also find his reference to pop culture so cool. Overall, I think what made him so successful and achieved almost all his dreams was his ability to listen and his perseverance to overcome every brickwall that he encountered. I am sharing some of inspirational lines in the book here, this is not to spoil future readers but rather to inspire other people to also read his book. 

"If you can dream it, you can do it."-Walt Disney one of Prof. Randy's inspiration in life that pushed him to be an Imagineer in Disney. 

Prof. Paush's dad to him "Never make a decision until you have to. "He'd also warn me that even if I was in a position of strength, whether at work or in relationships, I had to play fair" 

Prof. Randy in pursuing his dream to Zero gravity... "Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome" 

His stance as a professor... "You've got to get the fundamentals down, because otherwise fancy stuff is not going to work"

Prof. Randy on bagging big stuff animals. "Tenacity is a virtue, but it's not always crucial for everyone to observe how hard you work at something"

"People are more important than things." Prof. Randy's line after pouring a can of soda to his new convertible just to make his point. 

Prof. Randy to his wife when he refused to repair a scratch in the car. "But the flipside of that is my belief that you don't repair things if they still do what they're supposed to do. The cars still work. Let's just drive 'em" 

"Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think." 

"A professor's job is to teach students how to see their minds growing in the same way they can see their muscles grow when they look in a mirror" 

"Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity"

"Don't complain, just work harder. Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Anytime spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier." 

"It's not how hard you hit. It's how hard you get hit...and keep moving forward."

"If you want something bad enough, never give up" 

"Brick walls are there for 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. "