Luck is where Preparation meets Opportunity

'When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you.' That lesson has stuck with me my whole life. When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody's bothering to tell you anymore, that's a bad place to be. You may not want to hear it, but your critics are often the ones telling you they still love you and care about you, and want to make you better
Ch. 7 I Never Made It to the NFL

One day Andy took me for a walk. He put his arm around my shoulders and said "randy, its such a shame that people perceive you as being so arrogant, because its going to limit what you're going to be able to accomplish in life." Looking back, his wording was so perfect. He was actually saying, 'Randy, you're being a jerk.' But he said it in a way that made me open to his criticisms.
Ch. 14 The Dutch Uncle

My favorite non complainer of all time may be Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League Baseball. He endured racism that many young people today couldn't even fathom . He knew he had to play better than the white guys , and he knew he had to work harder. So that's what he did. He vowed not to complain, even if his fans spit on him....
The message in the(ir) story is this: Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it wont make us happier
Ch. 34 Don't Complain, Just work harder.

The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch
Hodder & Stroughton LtD
2008