The Last Lecture
Chapter One
An Injured Lion Still Wants to Roar
A LOT OF professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Maybe you've seen one.
It has become a common exercise on college campuses. 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?
For years, Carnegie Mellon had a "Last Lecture Series." But by the time organizers got around
to asking me to do it, they'd renamed their series "Journeys," asking selected professors "to offer
reflections on their personal and professional journeys." It wasn't the most exciting description,
but I agreed to go with it. I was given the September slot.
At the time, I already had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but I was optimistic. Maybe
I'd be among the lucky ones who'd survive.
While I went through treatment, those running the lecture series kept sending me emails.
"Wha ... read full excerpt from Last Lecture, The ebook
