book review of the last lecture by randy pausch

Book Review: The Last Lecture

February 24, 2022

Book: The Last Lecture

By: Randy Pausch

Reviewed by: Kenzie Bertrand

The Premise: The Last Lecture is a national bestseller by Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in August 2007. The university has a tradition of inviting professors to give a lecture to their students, as if it is their last. What would you say? What life lessons have you learned? What words of advice would you share? For Randy, his “Last Lecture” titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” at CMU on September 18 th , 2007, really was his last lecture.

Randy’s lecture was full stories from his childhood, his life as a father and a husband, and he shares the life lessons he has learned along the way. The lecture is full of hope, optimism, and humour. It went viral on YouTube and was shortly published into a book in 2008. Randy got to witness his lecture go viral, co-author this book and give an abridged version of his speech on The Oprah Winfrey Show before he passed away in July of 2008.

The Bottomline: The book described the lecture well and I felt the passion and emotion through the written words. I was inspired by some of his stories and life lessons, and I appreciated his vulnerability and frankness. After reading the book, I watched the lecture on YouTube, and I would say watching and listening to the lecture is 10x more powerful. He was a captivating lecturer, and you could tell there was a tremendous amount of respect from his students and faculty who provided a long standing ovation before Randy even started to speak. The bottom line, The Last Lecture is powerful, relevant, and inspiring, especially after the long month of January.

Recommendation: I recommend anyone to watch The Last Lecture on YouTube to get the most value out of lecture. If you don’t have two hours to spare, I recommend watching the condensed 10-minute version of his speech that he presented on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Kenzie Bertrand

Blog categories, recent posts.

book review of the last lecture by randy pausch

17 Highlights From 17 Years

Three Key Takeaways from View From the C-Suite with Peter Aceto

Book Review: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Are You a Situational Leader?

The Lost Expedition | Douglas Misquita | Book Review | Indian Heroes Book 2
Book Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Book Review: Where Has My Ceiling Gone? by Warren Veenman & Sally Eichhorst
List of Books with a Number in the Title | Top books with numbers in the title
The Valley of Fear | Arthur Conan Doyle | Book Review | Sherlock Holmes’ Last Mystery Novel

Book Review: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is his memoir. It is his biography that narrates his last days after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. So, this is an uplifting and motivating story of a common man who suddenly finds that his living days are now numbered. How he decides to live his last days and what he does to leave behind a legacy for his children is beautifully described in this book. Full of motivational quotes, and life’s lessons, this book will alter your life for the better. So, read the book summary, book review, reading age, genre, and the motivational quotes in this post below.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Book Review:

What will you say? What is it that you will convey to your loved ones, friends and colleagues before you die? What wisdom will you impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance to do so?

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Book Summary:

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon was asked to give such a lecture he didn’t have to imagine himself dying as he had been recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had only a few months to live.

Randy, a dying man wanted to leave a legacy for his children, a guide that would help them achieve their dreams, a medium to know their father who would soon be dead and not be a part of their lives. So he did what he was good at. Being a professor, he lectured and named it “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” .

If I were a painter, I would have painted for them. If I were a musician, I would have composed music. But I am a lecturer. So I lectured.” The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Quote

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Review:

It’s a touching journey and the last lecture that will force you to re-evaluate your life.

He was faced with the challenge to deliver a lecture which would be his last offering to everyone and that is what it became. An unforgettable legacy to people around the world about living your life to the fullest, enjoying each moment, achieving your dreams and adopting a never say die attitude.

Randy aptly named his last lecture as “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” which was not about dying. But about overcoming obstacles in your life, achieving your dreams while enabling the dreams of others, seizing each opportunity you get to make a memory because

…time is all you have… and you may find one day that you have less than you think.” The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Quote

As he said,

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Quote

and that’s what he did. He played the cards that were dealt to him to the best of his capabilities. Although he was dying but Randy was giving death a run for its money by not letting himself succumb to the grief, hopelessness and sadness associated with his condition. He was living his life, was busy creating memories with his kids and wife and preparing his family for life after his death.

This book is a legacy for his children as well as for everyone. It acts as an eyeopener to the fact that life is unpredictable and while we have it we should be grateful and never have any regret in our lives. He has combined his wisdom with humor, intelligence, inspiration and a moral that will be shared for generations.

Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.” The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Quote

Things I liked:

Randy shares his experiences from his life and provides a deep insight into his life, his beliefs, his inspirations and the motives that drove him.

The experiences, situations, the decision phases that he faced feel valid for our lives also. The morals, conclusions, wisdom give a solution to some or the other situation that we faced or might be facing. The story is saddening but inspiring and leaves you feeling sad for the family and for Randy. I also felt cheated. Cheated of an opportunity to interact with this terrific guy because I got to know of this book and about him too late. He had already left this world.

Randy proved that no matter what card he was dealt he was capable to taking the best of it. He was a man who is an inspiration and will continue to inspire all through his book to go out there and succeed. Work hard and “Dreams will come to you”. This one is my absolute favourite book of all time and a story that not only touched my heart but also inspired me at a time when I was drowning in my life. This is a book that moved me immensely and made me re-evaluate the choices that I was making. It inspired me to take chances and work hard to achieve my goals and even if I fail at least have the satisfaction of having tried.

Conclusion:

All in all, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is a must-have on everyone’s book list and is a compelling story of a dying man who lived thirty years in a matter of a few months. He enjoyed life till the very end and even in death came out a winner who never quit.

So, I give The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch super shiny 5 out of 5 stars . An ultimate guide on how to live your life, Njkinny recommends it to everyone.

Book Review and Book Quotes from The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch on Njkinny's blog

Book Review: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank Book Review and Book Quotes
Top Motivational Books You must give a read
Book Review: Where has my ceiling gone? by Warren Veenman and Sally Eichhorst
12 Inspiring Quotes from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam that will change your life
Famous Happiness Quotes that will leave you feeling Happy!

This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases you make using these links earn me a small commission without costing you anything. So, reward my efforts and help me in the upkeep costs of this blog. Read more here . Please shop using these links. Thanks!

Share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest. Use hashtags #BookReviewByNjkinny , #NjkinnyRecommends and #NjkinnysBlog

Join the Family. Subscribe to our newsletter

No Spam. Just Love and great Books. And it’s FREE!

Book Review: The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk by Sudha Murty | Life Stories from Here and There
Top 10 romance books to read during Monsoon on a rainy day

The Riddle of the Rajah’s Ruby | Enid Blyton | Book Review | The Riddles Series

Book Review: It Ends With A Dream by Medha Nagur | The Farther You Go, The Closer We Get

Gaia's Own by Dharshana Bajaj Book Review, Book Summary, Book Quotes, Genre, Age Rating on Njkinny's Blog

Gaia’s Own | Dharshana Bajaj | Book Review | Every Child’s Guide To Living In Harmony With Nature

2 thoughts on “ book review: the last lecture by randy pausch ”.

Awe inspiring book. A must read for everyone.

yeah.. You are so correct.. 🙂

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, Summary

If someone asked you, “what’s unique about you” how would you answer you'd probably stop dead in your tracks. and more than likely, you'd take time to think before you answered. that’s the question randy pausch asked himself when he was about to prepare his presentation for the last lecture series. the book, the last lecture by randy pausch, was eventually published ., initial thoughts on the last lecture by randy pausch.

Many of you have probably heard about Randy Pausch, and have seen the video – to date viewed over 18 million times – that went viral a couple of years ago. Pausch had pancreatic cancer, and the treatments he underwent did not work.

He desperately wanted to live because he loved his wife deeply. And he had three children five years and under whom he wanted to live for. He wanted to see them grow up, but that was not to be the case.

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture YouTube Video

If you cannot view Randy Pausch's Last Lecture on YouTube, please click here .

At many universities, professors are asked to do a presentation on their last lecture, which deals with topics that really matter to them. In this instance, Pausch who was a professor at Carnegie Mellon , was really going to be giving his last lecture. He had been given six months to live, and hence he asked himself the question, “What’s unique about me?”

He knew it wasn’t cancer, because there are many people suffering from cancer.

“ Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer; half of those with it will die within six months, and 96 percent die within five years.”

And according to Natural Health Dossier Health Watch, every 55 seconds someone dies from cancer in the United States.

For Pausch, what made him unique was the fact that he achieved his childhood dreams. How many of us can honestly say that?

Pausch wanted to leave a legacy for his young children, he wanted to leave them things to remember him by. The book, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is one of the things he left behind as a legacy for his wife and children.

What is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is About?

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is an easy read, that’s packed with a lot of punch. It’s a collection of 61 short stories and is a celebration of a life worth living. Pausch packed a lot of living into his 47 years.

To achieve his childhood dreams, there were often obstacles in his path – the proverbial brick wall.s And in The Last Lecture , Pausch walks us through how he went through these brick walls. For instance, when he was a child, he dreamed that he would some day work at Disney.

He got the opportunity to be an Imagineer at Disney because he was a computer scientist with a lot of experience in virtual reality. But the brick wall he faced was to get a six-month sabbatical from his professorship. It wasn’t easy, but he built his case and even had to go a level up in the university bureaucracy to get the time off that he needed. Pausch found a way to push through the brick wall. And you see the many brick walls he pushed through to achieve his childhood dreams.

Pausch says there are three parts to an apology and when you read what he says, it makes sense.

What I did was wrong.
I feel badly that I hurt you.
How do I make this better?

Nothing less will do, and explaining yourself dilutes the apology. As far as he is concerned, no apology is better than a poor apology.

There are many nuggets of wisdom interspersed throughout The Last Lecture .

“When you go into the wilderness, all you have is what you take with you. What’s the worst case scenario and plan for that,” says Pausch.

When I read this, I was reminded of some conferences that I attended where the technology failed to work and the presenters either fell apart and got mad, or the show went on. For those who recovered quickly, the difference? They were prepared for their presentation. To them, PowerPoint was only a tool that they could do without if the need arose. They were able to engage the audience, even without the flash.

Seven Great Ideas from Pausch in The Last Lecture

If you want something bad enough, don’t give up.
Luck = Preparation + Opportunity (Seneca).
Recognize when it’s time to change your strategy. “I signed up for the hardest treatments that could be thrown at me because I wanted to be around as long as possible to be there for my kids.” When Pausch realized that, that was not going to be the case, he changed his strategy to leaving a legacy and spending quality time with his wife and each of his three children.
Get the fundamentals down for everything. Have you mastered the fundamentals for your job?
Your attitude affects the outcome of every situation.
Complaining does not work as a strategy.
Value people more than you value things.

Pausch wasn’t perfect because no one is. In The Last Lecture he talks about being a recovering jerk. A professor who saw his potential, called him on his attitude and that was critical to how much he achieved in his life.

“I’ve been lucky enough to benefit over the years from people like Andy [his professor], who have cared enough to tell me the tough-love things that I needed to hear.”

Do you take the time to give tough-love to those you care about, without diminishing them as a person? And how well do you accept the tough-love that's given to you?

While reading The Last Lecture , I gleaned three questions to differentiate us, and I’m still trying to answer them for myself:

What are three things that matter the most to you?
What’s unique about you?
What do you alone truly have to offer?

the last lecture, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Summary

Final Thoughts on The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture is a powerful and emotional journey, a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Randy Pausch's wisdom, courage, and determination to continue to inspire readers to look beyond their challenges and focus on what truly matters. The main message is to live life fully and help others achieve their dreams.

Life is short and unpredictable, but it offers many chances to learn, grow, and make a difference. His lessons inspire readers to have a positive attitude, keep going despite challenges, and work towards their dreams, no matter the size.

I recommend The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch because you’ll get some nuggets of wisdom. I am confident that you’ll take away at least one thing from it.

Wondering what to do next, you can do all of:

Buy my new book, leadership reading: spilling the tea on how top leaders read, if you want to consult 1:1 about effective reading strategies, subscribe to my youtube channel, join the art of learning membership site, download unlock your genius power reading tips sheet, buy me a cup of coffee, if you want access to my bookish notes, please consider joining my membership site, the art of learning ..

This post contains affiliate links and The Invisible Mentor® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here . Thank you so much for your support!

UPDATE : This was first published in May 2011.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, Summary

About the Author Avil Beckford

Hello there! I am Avil Beckford, the founder of The Invisible Mentor. I am also a published author, writer, expert interviewer host of The One Problem Podcast and MoreReads Success Blueprint, a movement to help participants learn in-demand skills for future jobs. Sign-up for MoreReads: Blueprint to Change the World today! In the meantime, Please support me by buying my e-books Visit My Shop , and thank you for connecting with me on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter and Pinterest !

Enjoyed this article?

Find more great content here:

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks, Book Review

Elevate: push beyond your limit by robert glazer, summary, finding freedom in captivity: lessons on inner strength from courage under fire.

Book Review : The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." – Randy Pausch

Introduction

It was sometime in 2007 that I first came across Randy Pausch’s "The Last Lecture" video in which Randy talked about about "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". It has been an influential talk in my life and I have seen the video a couple of times since then. Recently I bought the "The Last Lecture" book by Randy which is based on this popular video. The book goes through the same topic as the video, but also has interesting additional material including background material on the lecture. This is my review of the book.

Randy Pausch was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, US. His expertise was in virtual reality and he went on to create the Alice project . At the age of 46, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Carnegie Mellon had a lecture series called "the last lecture" (now known as journeys) where faculty members share their reflection on their life journeys. In the case of Randy, "the last lecture" was really like his last lecture since he had only months to live due to his terminal cancer.

On September 18, 2007, Randy Pausch gave his "last lecture" titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". The lecture outlined his childhood dreams and how he went about achieving it in his life. It is in essence a short summary of his life and he said he intended the lecture as a message to his children. The video of the lecture became viral and as of writing this article, it had over 15 millions page views!

"The Last Lecture" soon became an internet sensation and Randy went on to do appearances in ABC Network , Oprah Winfrey Show , Time Magazine and also gave a speech at commencement ceremony in Carnegie Mellon . He also wrote a book titled "The Last Lecture" which was sold over 5 million copies world wide.

Randy died from pancreatic cancer on July,2008 at the age of 47. However his book and his lecture will remain a source of inspiration for the future generations.

(I) The Last Lecture – A background on the last lecture at Carnegie Mellon.

(II) Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams – Much of the material here are also in the video.

(III) Adventures … And Lesson Learned -This is a collection of his life experiences and what he learned.

(IV) Enabling the Dreams of Others

(V) It is About How to Live Your Life – Randy lists the rules by which he tried to live his life.

(VI) Final Remarks

The first thing you notice is that the book assumes that you have seen the last lecture video. Many chapters refer to the background of the video and if you have seen it, you immediately make a connection.

When you read the book, it feels as if you are going through the entire life of Randy in a few minutes. We learn how he achieves his childhood dreams even when there are some really hard obstacles. According to him, the obstacles are there for a reason, it is to keep the "other" people out!

One of the things he mentions in his book is that when you want something, just ask. I have applied this principle even when I thought asking will lead to 100% rejection. Surprisingly, the actual rejection rate was something like 50% and even in those cases I think if I am persistent enough it would have worked. As Randy says,

"The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something"

Most of his advice on life is actually ancient wisdom and clearly these are all principles valid till the end of humanity (importance of hard work, dreaming big, showing gratitude etc.). It is interesting to see them in the context of Randy’s life. If you are looking for any soft of deep philosophical discussions, this is not the book for you.

His view of "failures" is that it is what gives us experience. He even had an award for "glorious failure" in his "building virtual worlds" course. As Randy says,

"Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted"

At just over 200 pages, "The Last Lecture" is a small book. In every page you find a man’s agony in knowing that soon his children won’t have a father to protect & guide them. Randy writes in such a honest and passionate way that you will find it hard to stop once you start reading the book.

My Rating : 8/10. This is a good book. It may have a positive influence on the way you live.

Other Notable Quotes by Randy Pausch

"If I only had three words of advice, they would be, Tell the Truth. If got three more words, I’d add, all the time."

"When you’re screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you."

"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 to you."

Online Resources

The Last Lecture Video
The Last Lecture Book
The Alice Project
Time Interview (10 Questions)
ABC Interview (April 2008)
Appearance at Carnegie Mellon Commencement Ceremony (May 2008)

2 Comments to “Book Review : The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch”

Hello Jayson,

I visited your web page and found it quite interesting and useful. It’s a great service that you’re doing. I got into your page while searching for info about the Ponmudi Golden Peak resort and got a very good description. Thank you

Dear Jayson, I posted a video of the speech made by Steve Jobs at Stanford University Commencement with Malayalam sound-over, to keep a word I gave my students at their farewell. https://www.facebook.com/thomas.km.56?fref=nf While working on it I thought it might benefit Kerala school children and posted in in my Malayalam tutorial channel which has a few other assorted tutorials. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFvjCCPmc7M&feature=youtu.be As it involves a good amount on investment with time I don’t want to blotch it. You have read the book. If you can spare 15 minutes on the ‘Connecting the dots’ video and express your critical suggestions, it would be useful for the work and also earnestly appreciated. Thomas.

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Main Categories

Opinion (14)
Programming (10)
Travel Reviews (21)

Recent Articles

Book Review – The Richest Man in Babylon
Book Review – The Psychology of Money
Book Review – Four Thousand Weeks
Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple Trek
Cheraman Juma Masjid (Cheraman Mosque)
Padmanabhapuram Palace
Varayattumotta Trek
Book Review: The Elements of Computing Systems
Book Review: Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Book Review: The First 20 Hours, How to Learn Anything Fast by Josh Kaufman

Book – The Last Lecture

Author – Randy Pausch & Jeffrey Zaslow

Publisher – Hyperion (2008)

Page Numbers – 240

Reviewed by – Naisargi Bhatt

‘We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand’ –RANDY PAUSCH

The LAST LECTURE is an inspiring and motivational book, that may land you a reality check about life, or maybe even just a good cry; through stories and aphorisms about a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania.

Randy Pausch had been diagnosed with ten tumours in his liver. The university where he worked offered a lecture series for students wherein the educators shared advice based on lessons learned from their lives. Randy had his chance to share before he died. “What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance?”

He was a father of three young children and married to the woman of his dreams. “I knew what I was doing that day,” he writes in the book’s introduction, “Under the ruse of giving an academic lecture, I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children.”

His wife, Jai was not enthusiastic as Randy for his lecture. She knew he would pour a lot of time and energy into the lecture. But then she relented when she saw how much it meant to him to have a recording of his life lessons for their three children. It was his chance to say goodbye to many people in his working world.

“I’ve never understood pity and self-pity as an emotion. We have a finite amount of time whether short or long it doesn’t matter. Life is to be LIVED” he says.

Throughout the book, we revisit Randy Pausch’s fulfilment of his childhood dreams, the stories that illustrate themes such as dreaming big, hard work, perseverance, sacrifice, courage, a positive outlook and dealing with adversities. Rather than focusing on his last moments, it was a speech about living, each day as though it was your last.

“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.”

It’s all about how you frame that experience, he explains. It’s not about what happens to you bout about how you react to what happens to you that makes a difference.

Randy Pausch is the main character of this book. After aggressive treatment, he still couldn’t get better and he knew his time on earth was limited. But, he believed in moving forward which takes, flow of the story at peak and rules over the heart.

“It’s not how hard you hit, it’s how hard you get hit.. and keep moving forward.” The ones who keep getting up and keep moving forward are the ones who win at the end. Life is hard, but compared to what? He discusses the disease and its effects on the remainder of his life in the chapter entitled ‘It’s About How to Live Your Life.’ He points out at the end of the lecture that we all have a finite time. He advises to count blessings and be thankful, that attracts more to be thankful for. Complaining cannot help us achieve our goals.

MORAL TO TAKE AWAY:

‘Time is all you have. And you may find one day, that you have less time than you think’ –RANDY PAUSCH

Never take time for granted. Each day you wake up is another day you are supposed to be here. There is a reason for your life. Hope to fill the pages of your ‘Once upon a time’ story right and vow to make each moment count. To die with dignity and grace is on everyone’s “to do” list but to treasure your “sheer existence” has a whole host of other emotions that rule your life. The book needs to be shared for generations to come.

Naisargi Bhatt is a student pursuing masters in medical biotechnology. She intends to pursue a course in literature once she finishes the current one. She loves writing and writes various forms and genres – philosophical, spiritual, romantic and others.

AI - General
Computer Vision - General
Academic Paper(s)
Facial Recognition
Image enhancing
Object Detection/Tracking
Phone Technology
How Stuff Works
Controversies
Book Reviews

Be an Optimist Prime in the world of Computer Vision and AI

Review of the last lecture by randy pausch.

I detest receiving books as gifts in the workplace. Such books are usually of the soulless sort, the sort that are written around some lifeless corporate motto that is supposed to inspire a new employee to work overtime when needed. So, when I walked into my first day at work at Carnegie Mellon University (Australia campus) and saw the person in charge of my induction training holding a book obviously destined to end up in my possession, the invisible eyes of my invisible soul rolled as far back as possible into my invisible soul’s head. But I felt guilty about this reaction shortly after when I was told what the book was about: a past Carnegie Mellon University professor’s last lecture shortly before dying of cancer . “This could actually be interesting”, I thought, and mentally added the book to the bottom of my “To Read” list.

That happened over a year ago. I’ve been incessantly pestered ever since by the person in charge of my induction to read this book. But what can one do when one’s “To Read” list is longer than the actual book itself? However, I finally got round to it, and I’m glad I did. Here are my thoughts on it.

The book in question is entitled “The Last Lecture” and was written by Randy Pausch. Randy was a computer scientist (like me!), a professor at CMU (like me!), with significant previous experience in the industry (also like me!) – a kindred soul it seems. In August 2007, he was told he only had 3-6 months left of his life as a result of pancreatic cancer. The following month he gave his final lecture at CMU in Pittsburgh and then wrote this book about that event.

His final lecture was entitled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”. During this talk he showed approximately 60 slides each with a single picture meant to, in one way or another, reference a childhood dream that he was able to fulfil or at least attempted to fulfil. But, as he states at the end of the book, the lecture topic was really a feint (or “head fake”, to use his NFL terminology) from his primary aim: to give a lecture for his three children aged 6, 3, and 18 months, in order for them to see who their father was and to pass down any wisdom that he had accrued in his life that he would have liked to have given them over time . It was heart-wrenching for him to think about his children not having their father present growing up and not having solid memories of him. So, he wanted to give them something concrete to look back on as the years after his death progressed.

Randy was very concise in squeezing a lifetime of thoughts into a 60 minute talk – but from it a few things definitely stood out for me.

Firstly, it was his career as an educator, rather than as an academic. He definitely emphasised the former over the latter. Professor Pausch had a passion for teaching. He was damn good at it, too. The stories that he had about how he inspired students throughout the years and also about his (sometimes unorthodox) teaching methods are stirring and stimulating to a fellow educator like myself. He strove to make a difference in each and every students’ life. In a way, he felt like he was an extension of their parents and it was his duty to convey to students as much as he could, which included things like life experiences. Yes, he was a true educator and he showed this well in his book. He undoubtedly wanted his children to know this part about himself. He wanted them to be proud of his passion and his great adeptness at it.

Another thing that stood out for me was the wisdom conveyed in this book. When faced with death, any honest person is going to make significant re-evaluations of their values, will inevitably see and experience things from a different perspective, and will undoubtedly view past experiences in a different light. It is always worth reading the thoughts of such a person because you know that they will be rich and profound and definitely not soulless. Randy’s short book is full of such thoughts.

The last thing I want to mention is that “The Last Lecture” is permeated with a fighting spirit that overflows into a sense of celebration of life. Despite staring death in the face Randy still managed to let an optimistic outlook govern his everyday workings:

Look, I’m not in denial about my situation. I am maintaining my clear-eyed sense of the inevitable. I’m living like I’m dying. But at the same time, I’m very much living like I’m still living.

He lived his final months in this spirit and has conveyed this also well in his book, if only for the simple fact that the book is full of humour. We can learn a lot from such an outlook on life. The man would have been a great guy to have a coffee with in the staff room, for sure.

In conclusion, Professor Pausch achieved his aim of leaving something for his children to remember him by, to be proud of, and to inspire and teach them as they themselves tread through life. Simultaneously, however, he left a lot for us, too. I can see why I was given this book on my induction day at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy’s children I’m sure are proud of him. And now I am proud myself knowing that I am teaching at the same institution as he once did.

(Employers please note: this is how you legitimately make an employee want to work overtime after an induction session)

To be informed when new content like this is posted, subscribe to the mailing list:

Arduino – Rotor Sweeping for Obstacle Detection Code

Security Film or Image Enhancing is Possible

How Deep Learning Works – The Very Basics

One reply to “review of the last lecture by randy pausch”.

Another book which has greatly impressed me: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. I’m planning to read this again before the year ends.

Book notes: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch book summary review and key ideas.

Get the audiobook on Audible 👇 (affiliate link)

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

“‘We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.’ ( Randy Pausch )

A lot of professors give talks entitled “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 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.” -Audible

~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link (click the button below) or support this blog in one of several ways! 📖 🎓

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. 😊

Opening thoughts:

I forgot where I got this recommendation from, but I might have been from another book or podcast. The synopsis sounded good, and it also seems like a shorter read, so we’ll see. I am looking forward to the perspectives and insights the book will give.

This book is a continuation of those lectures

Part 1: The Last Lecture

Chapter 1: am injured lion still wants to roar, chapter 2: my life in a laptop, chapter 3: the elephant in the room, part 2: really achieving your childhood dreams, chapter 4: the parent lottery, chapter 5: the elevator in the ranch house.

As a parent, if your kids want to paint their bedrooms, let them do it

Chapter 6: getting to zero G

Lesson : Have something to bring to the table because that will make you more welcomed

Chapter 7: I never made it to the NFL

Lesson from football: You’ve got to work on the fundamentals , others wise the fancy stuff is never going to work

Chapter 8: you’ll find me under “V”

Chapter 9: a skill set called leadership.

It’s important to delegate to those who knew better , and have the passion to inspire
He established the vision, the tone, and in charge of morale

Chapter 10: winning big

Chapter 11: the happiest place on earth.

He got an opportunity to work with Disney imagineers on a VR project

Part 3: Adventures and Lessons Learned

Chapter 12: the park is open until 8pm.

He was amazed at how skilled his oncology doctor was at giving the news to them and comforting them

Chapter 13: the man in the convertible

Chapter 14: the dutch uncle.

The way you tell someone something will determine how open they are to hearing your criticism

Chapter 15: pouring soda in the backseat

He spent a lot of time with his niece and nephew Chris and Laura and askd them to also spend time with his kids here and there when he’s gone
He asked them to pass along the message that he tried his best to stay alive for as long as he could to be with them

Chapter 16: romancing the brick wall

He told people in his lecture that the brick walls in our lives are meant to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough

Chapter 17: not all fairy tales end smoothly

They narrowly escaped a hot air balloon accident on their wedding day

Chapter 18: Lucy, I’m home

He’s utilitarian, and driving around in their dented cars became a statement in their marriage that not everything needs to be fixed

Chapter 19: a New Years story – NO MATTER HOW BAD THINGS ARE you can always make things worse

Chapter 20: “in fifty years, it never came up”.

He learned from his dad, weeks after his death, the power of sacrifice and humility after discovering he had been awarded a bronze star for his courage in the battlefield

Chapter 21: Jai

Chapter 22: the truth can set you free.

He got out of a speeding ticket by telling the cop he was terminal

Part 4: Enabling the Dreams of Others

Chapter 23: i’m on my honeymoon, but if you need me.

Time must be explicitly managed , like finances

Chapter 24: a recovering jerk

The best educators teach students how to be more self-reflective

Chapter 25: Training a Jedi

Fulfilling your dreams is a thrill, but enabling the dreams of others is even more fun

Chapter 26: they just bore blew me away

His students blew him away with their creativity and hard work
The program eventually led to a 2-year course that helped students make their dreams come to life

Chapter 27: the promised land

Everyone loves stories and storytelling

Part 5: It’s About How to Live Your Life

Chapter 28: dream big.

He’s a scientist who sees inspiration as the ultimate tool for doing good
Even though the money could have been spent fighting poverty (many times at the margins), putting someone on the moon inspires all of us to achieve the maximum of human potential
Fuel your kids’ dreams too

Chapter 29: Earnest is better than hip

Fashion is just commerce masquerading as hip

Chapter 30: raising the white flag

Life is too short to fight people on certain things, and sometimes it’s best to just surrender

Chapter 31: let’s make a deal

He made a deal with his mom about her dining furniture that stopped their arguing about him leaning back on the chair

Chapter 32: don’t complain, just work harder

It’s just a waste of time and energy and happiness

Chapter 33: treat the disease, not the symptom

Chapter 34: don’t obsess over what people think, chapter 35: start by sitting together, chapter 36: look for the best in everybody.

Just keep waiting and have patience

Chapter 37: watch what they do, not what they say

When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, watch what they do , not what they say

Chapter 38: if at first you don’t succeed

Plus, kids don’t know most of them, so educators should use them
They’re a new audience and they’re inspired by cliches

Chapter 39: be the first penguin

Those who have failed often know better on how to avoid future failures

Chapter 40: get peoples attention

Don’t create technology that is frustrating

Chapter 41: The lost art of thank-you notes

Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other

Chapter 42: loyalty is a two-way street

Chapter 43: the friday night solution.

In other words, hard work

Chapter 44: show gratitude

Go out and do for others what somebody did for you

Chapter 45: send out thin mints

Chapter 46: all you have is what you bring with you.

Be prepared and have contingency plans in place

Chapter 47: A bad apology is worse than no apology

Anything less than an “A” won’t cut it
What I did was wrong ?
I feel badly that I hurt you?
How do I make this better?

Chapter 48: Tell The Truth

If 3 more, he would add “ all the time ”

Chapter 49: get in touch with your crayon box

Chapter 50: the $100k salt and pepper shaker.

On every level, institutions can and should have a heart

Chapter 51: no job is beneath you

Chapter 52: know where you are.

If you can find your footing between two cultures , sometimes you can have the best of both worlds

Chapter 53: never give up

And once you get over them, it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it

Chapter 54: be a communitarian

To not do so it’s selfish
When we are connected to others, we become better people

Chapter 55: all you have to do is ask

Chapter 56: make a decision.

Be a Tigger and have as much fun as you can

Chapter 57: a way to understand optimism

Optimism as a mental state can enable you to do tangible things to improve your physical state

Chapter 58: the input of others

“Wherever he goes a part of you will go”

Part Six: Final Remarks

Chapter 59: dreams for my children.

He also mentioned that he thought the father-daughter thing was over stated that he can attest that it’s real
He likes knowing that he was the first man to fawn over her and when she looks at him he turns into a puddle
He wants his kids to find their own path with enthusiasm and passion

Chapter 60: Jai and Me

Chapter 61: the dreams will come to you, closing thoughts:.

I really enjoyed this book! It was everything I was expecting after reading the premise of the book. It’s pretty straightforward: a terminal man recounts major events in his life and the lessons learned along his way. The main purpose is to pass along this information as his legacy to his children in a way that’s truly authentic to who he is: a lecturer/teacher.

The life lessons are profound and very insightful. It reminds me of that Stephen Covey quote “ begin with the end in mind ” in that he shows how one would live and prioritize their life if they had a short time to live.

I think this book is great for almost everyone. It’ll give you a perspective on life that will really motivate you and put your priorities into perspective. I think if we all lived our life like we were dying (sooner than later), then we’d probably live a lot differently.

One Takeaway / Putting into practice:

Like any good book, this book has at least half a dozen solid nuggets of wisdom. Any of them could change someone’s life if implemented fully. However, since I have to choose one for this section, my choice will be:

Inspiration is the ultimate tool for doing good – when you put someone on the moon, it inspires all of us to achieve the maximum of human potential

I thought this was one of the more insightful and unique takeaways I’ve heard. He makes a good point too. You can donate a bunch of money to causes and make a difference. However, when you inspire a generation of people to achieve more than what we thought was possible, you do a greater amount of good.

I think this emphasizes the power of doing things that inspire others. If we want to make the world a better place, the best way is to come an inspiration to others.

Professor Randy Pausch uses his series of last lectures to pass on his life and legacy to his children before he succumbs to his terminal illness.

Similar books:

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
The Gift by Edith Eger
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Subscribe for More Summaries👇

Subscribe to the Yolocruz Book Club email newsletter. I’ll send you my latest book overviews that include highlights , favorite quotes , and quick summaries . Don’t worry, I’ll never send you spam or give away your info. And you can easily unsubscribe at any time.

Try Audible for audiobooks 📚🎧

Personal recommendation : For the last 6 years, I’ve used Audible to listen to all of my favorite books. It’s easy to use, cost-effective, and they have the best library of audiobooks.

If you use my affiliate links below, not only will you get a special offer , but it’ll help support the costs to maintain this blog ! 😊👇

Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks

Audible Gift Memberships

Please donate! 🙂

Please consider a small donation to help support my blog ^_^ I love providing free book notes and other content. Any donations help me maintain my website and create content consistently. Thanks everyone for the continued support!