The Last Lecture

[ckcgordon]

I just read the transcript of Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture". Before Randy started his lecture. He said, "make me earn it". I don't understand the meaning of this expression. Can someone explain?

 

[Raymott]

I just read the transcript of Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture". Before Randy started his lecture. He said, "make me earn it". I don't understand the meaning of this expression. Can someone explain?

Depends. I assume he's telling the students to make him earn his salary (say, by giving a good last lecture, assuming this is his last lecture). But it's impossible to say without more context.

 

[ckcgordon]

If you have time, you can watch the first 20 seconds of the clip:

YouTube - Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

The speaker says "Make me earn it", while he is signaling to the audience to sit down.

 

[tedtmc]

The speaker says "Make me earn it", while he is signaling to the audience to sit down.

The audience stood up to give Randy Pausch an enthusiastic applause as he walked into the lecture hall. Randy meant to tell them that the applause should be given after he has delivered his lecture so that the audience can judge for themselves whether he deserved the applause (earn it) rather than before the lecture. It is a humble way of saying he didn't deserve the applause so early.

not a teacher

 

[Raymott]

The audience stood up to give Randy Pausch an enthusiastic applause as he walked into the lecture hall. Randy meant to tell them that the applause should be given after he has delivered his lecture so that the audience can judge for themselves whether he deserved the applause (earn it) rather than before the lecture. It is a humble way of saying he didn't deserve the applause so early.

not a teacher

Yes, exactly.

 

[ckcgordon]

The audience stood up to give Randy Pausch an enthusiastic applause as he walked into the lecture hall. Randy meant to tell them that the applause should be given after he has delivered his lecture so that the audience can judge for themselves whether he deserved the applause (earn it) rather than before the lecture. It is a humble way of saying he didn't deserve the applause so early.

not a teacher

Thanks, tedtmc.