Randy Pausch Quotes

Plan for the worst, expect the best.

I learned not to get too happy about good news or too distraught about bad.

It's really important to always have a positive mind-set, no matter what people have been through.

I believe that words are strong, that they can overwhelm what we fear when fear seems more awful than life is good.

We can choose to gather to our hearts the thorns of disappointment, failure, loneliness, and dismay in our present situation. Or we can gather the flowers of God's grace, boundless love, abiding presence, and unmatched joy. I choose to gather the flowers.

My optimism and confidence come not from feeling I'm luckier than other mortals, and they sure don't come from visualizing victory. They're the result of a lifetime spent visualizing defeat and figuring out how to prevent it. Like most astronauts, I'm pretty sure that I can deal with what life throws at me because I've thought about what to do if things go wrong, as well as right. That's the power of negative thinking.

Faith is reacting positively to a negative situation.

we find that the optimists have an undeniable advantage over the pessimists. Many studies show that they do better on exams, in their chosen profession, and in their relationships, live longer and in better health, enjoy a better chance of surviving postoperative shock, and are less prone to depression and suicide.

A strong mind always hopes, and has always cause to hope.

Optimism boosts your energy and focuses your sights on reaching your goals, rather than wallowing in your setbacks.

I'm, by nature, a really optimistic person. It goes back to my parents having been each divorced three times and my finding some way to survive all that. I always managed to survive by being upbeat.

At bottom, everything depends upon the presence or absence of one single element in the soul - HOPE

It requires but a few threads of hope, for the heart that is skilled in the secret, to weave a web of happiness.

It is silly not to hope, besides I believe it is a sin." The Old Man and the Sea

Hope is a gift we give ourselves, and it remains when all else is gone.

In difficult times, people too often lose the ability to face the future optimistically. They begin to think about their tomorrow's negatively. They forget that the tough times will pass. They concentrate on the problems of today rather than on the opportunities of tomorrow. In so doing, they not only lose the potential of today, they also throw away the beauty of tomorrow.

Life inflicts the same setbacks and tragedies on the optimist as on the pessimist, but the optimist weathers them better.

I've always enjoyed myself. Unhappy periods for me last about twenty minutes.

When things are difficult, smile by faith. Don't wait until you feel better.

I approach every problem with optimism.

You've just got to go out there and try to control the things you can control. Deal with things and stay mentally strong.

One of the best protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on.

The hopeful man sees success where others see failure, sunshine where others see shadows and storm.

A positive thinker does not refuse to recognize the negative; he refuses to dwell on it.

Can you suppose there's any harm in looking as cheerful and being as cheerful as our poor circumstances will permit?