Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.

I didn't know there was a dying-professor section at the bookstore.

Your patience will be both appreciated and rewarded

Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress. When you're pissed off at someone and you're angry at them, you just haven't given them enough time. Just give them a little more time and they almost always will impress you.

Throughout my academic career, I'd given some pretty good talks. But being considered the best speaker in the computer science department is like being known as the tallest of the Seven Dwarfs.

Engineering isn't about perfect solutions; it's about doing the best you can with limited resources.

He had high hopes for society, and though his hopes were too often dashed, he remained a raging optimist.