Randy’s “Dutch Uncle” at Brown University who becomes one of Randy’s mentors and has a deep impact on Randy’s life—he makes Randy more self aware, leads him to believe in the idea of “feedback loops,” helps Randy get into graduate school, and continues to be a source of wisdom throughout Randy’s life.
Professor Andy Van Dam Quotes in The Last Lecture
The The Last Lecture quotes below are all either spoken by Professor Andy Van Dam or refer to Professor Andy Van Dam. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Hyperion edition of The Last Lecture published in 2008.
Chapter 14
Quotes
…I had strengths that also were flaws. In Andy’s view, I was self-possessed to a fault, I was way too brash and I was an inflexible contrarian, always spouting opinions. One day, Andy took me for a walk. He put his arm around my shoulders and said, “Randy, it’s such a shame that people perceive you as being so arrogant, because it’s going to limit what you’re going to be able to accomplish in life.”
Related Characters:
Randy Pausch (speaker), Professor Andy Van Dam
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Professor Andy Van Dam Character Timeline in The Last Lecture
The timeline below shows where the character Professor Andy Van Dam appears in The Last Lecture. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 14: The Dutch Uncle
...didn’t notice how he came across to others, until, one day, Randy’s mentor and teacher, Professor Andy van Dam , took Randy for a walk and told him “Randy, it’s such a shame that...
(full context)
Looking back, Randy notes that Andy van Dam ’s wording was perfect—he was basically telling Randy he was a jerk, but he said...
(full context)
Chapter 24: A Recovering Jerk
...the semester, the student keeps himself in check. Randy did him a favor, just as Andy Van Dam did Randy one many years earlier.
(full context)
Chapter 26: They Just Blew Me Away
...far exceeding his expectations. Randy wasn’t sure what to do, so he called his mentor Andy Van Dam , explained the situation, and Andy advised Randy to go back to class the next...
(full context)
Randy was unsure, but he followed Andy Van Dam ’s advice anyway, and it turned out to be exactly the right thing to do—the...
(full context)
Chapter 44: Show Gratitude
...with people he cared about. Not everyone is so easily thanked, though, like Randy’s mentor Andy Van Dam —nothing Randy can do will adequately pay him back. So, Randy says, he just has...
(full context)
Chapter 46: All You Have Is What You Bring With You
...until Norm took a spare bulb out of his backpack and installed it. Randy’s Professor, Andy Van Dam , leaned over and told Randy “This guy is going places,” which turned out to...
(full context)
Chapter 53: Never Give Up
...Randy graduated from college, it never occurred to him to go to graduate school until Andy Van Dam , Randy’s mentor, told him to get a PhD and become a professor. Randy asks...
(full context)
Randy tells Andy Van Dam he’s decided to skip grad school and get a job, but Andy refuses to let...
(full context)
