Written below are the excerpts from Prof. Randy Pausch's speech at Carnegie Mellon University Commencement 2008 which is then followed by actual speech video
"We don't beat the (Grim) Reaper by living longer, but by living well, and living fully."
"It's not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed, it is the things we do not."
"Pretty much any chance I had to do something cool I tried to grab for it — and that's where my solace comes from."
"Honors and words are nice things but only to the extent that they regard the real respect from your peers and to be thought well of by other people that you think of even more highly of..."
"Find your passion and in my experience no matter what you do at work, or what you do in official settings, that passion will be grounded in people. It will be grounded in the relationships you have with people and what they think of you when your time comes."
"It's not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed, it is the things we do not."
"Pretty much any chance I had to do something cool I tried to grab for it — and that's where my solace comes from."
"Honors and words are nice things but only to the extent that they regard the real respect from your peers and to be thought well of by other people that you think of even more highly of..."
"Find your passion and in my experience no matter what you do at work, or what you do in official settings, that passion will be grounded in people. It will be grounded in the relationships you have with people and what they think of you when your time comes."
Late Prof. Randy Pausch, CMU Commencement 2008
What follows is an attempt to transcribe above marvelous speech
I am glad to be here today. Hell! I am glad to be anywhere today.
President Cohon asked me to give the charge to the graduates. I assure you, it is nothing compared to the charge you have just given me.
This is an incredible places. I have seen it through so many lenses. I saw it when I was a graduate student that didn't get admitted and then somebody invited me back and said, ""Ok! We'll change our mind". I saw as a place that hired me back to be on the faculty many years later and then gave me the chance to do what anybody wants to do which is follow their passion, follow their heart and do the things they are excited about. The great thing about this University like almost other ones I know of is that nobody gets in your way when you try to do it and that's just fantastic. To the degree a human being can love an institution, I love this place and I love all the people. I am very grateful to Jared Cohon and everyone else for all the kindness that has been shown on me.
Last August, I was told that I have 3-6 months left to live. I am on month 9 now. I am not gonna get down and do any push-ups. (Pause)...but there will be a short pick-up basketball game later.
Somebody said to me in light of these numbers. "Wow! So, you are really beating the Grim Reaper." What I said without even thinking about it is we don't beat the Reaper by living longer, but by living well, and living fully — for the reaper will come for all of us. The question is: what do we do between the time we're born and the time he shows up. Because when he shows up it is too late to do all the things that you always gonna kind of get around to.
I think the only advice I can give you on how to live your life well is, first off, remember, it's cliche, but I love cliche, it's not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed, it is the things we do not.
Because I assure you I've done a lot of really stupid things, and none of them bother me. All the mistakes, and all the dopey things, and all the times I was embarrassed — they don't matter. What matters is that I can kind of look back and say: pretty much any chance I had to do something cool I tried to grab for it — and that's where my solace comes from.
The second thing that I would add to that and I did not coordinate on the subject of this word but I think it is the right word that comes up. It is passion. You will need to find your passion. Many of you already done it, many of you will later, many of you may take till your 30s or 40s but don't give up on finding it. Because then all you are doing is waiting for the reaper. Find your passion and follow it. If there is anything that I have learned in life, you will not find that passion in things, and you will not find that passion in money. Because the more things and the more money you have, the more you will just look around and use that as the matrix — and there will always be someone with more. So, your passion must come from the things that fuel you from the inside.
Honors and words are nice things but only to the extent that they regard the real respect from your peers and to be thought well of by other people that you think of even more highly of, is a tremendous honor that I have been granted.
Find your passion and in my experience no matter what you do at work, or what you do in official settings, that passion will be grounded in people. It will be grounded in the relationships you have with people and what they think of you when your time comes. And if you can gain the respect of those around you and the passion and true love. I have said this before. But, I waited till 39 to get married. Because I had to wait that long to find someone where her happiness is more important than mine. If nothing else I hope that all of you can find that kind of passion and that kind of love, in your life. Thank you.
(and his eyes were wet)
