Whatever news we get about the scans, I’m not going to die when we hear it. I won’t die the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. So today, right now, well this is a wonderful day. And I want you to know how much I’m enjoying it.” I thought about that, and about Jai’s smile. I knew then. That’s the way the rest of my life would need to be lived.

The great thing about working out at a gym is that if you put in effort, you get very obvious results. The same should be true of college. A professor’s job is to teach students how to see their minds growing in the same way they can see their muscles grow when they look in a mirror.

The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people!

The person who failed often knows how to avoid future failures. The person who knows only success can be more oblivious to all the pitfalls.

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

Never make a decision until you have to.

Give yourself permission to dream. Fuel your kids' dreams too. Once in a while, that might even mean letting them stay up past their bedtimes.