Randy Pausch

Never lose the childlike wonder. Show gratitude... Don't complain; just work harder... Never give up.

The metaphor I've used is... somebody's going to push my family off a cliff pretty soon, and I won't be there to catch them. And that breaks my heart. But I have some time to sew some nets to cushion the fall. So, I can curl up in a ball and cry, or I can get to work on the nets.

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the game.