While there is life, there is hope.
While there is life, there is not a thing that can’t be done.
Not a problem that can’t be solved.
There is no adversity strong enough to stop you.
Brilliant minds have overcome so much in order to become brilliant and share life-changing
messages with the world.
Stephen Hawking was one of these people.
In his twenties, he was diagnosed with a fatal neurodegenerative disease and was given a
few years to live.
But that was far from being the end of him. Stephen would change the whole world with
his scientific theories.
As the disease progressed and presented increasing challenges, he had to adapt and come up with
new ways to communicate and share his knowledge with the world.
His persistence and tenacity helped him through the challenges.
Against all odds, he wrote various books, built a family, and became one of the most
recognizable figures in the science field.
It wasn’t all by chance.
He worked with something he loved so much he couldn’t help doing it despite all challenges.
If you want to win, your passion has to be bigger than everything else.
Bigger than your challenges.
Bigger than your doubts.
Bigger than adversity.
If you learn no harness the power within yourself to carry on, no matter what, nothing will
stop you.
Stephen Hawking: I was born on January 8th 1942, exactly 300 years after the death of
Galileo, however,I estimate that about 200,000 other babies were also born that day. I don't
know whether any of them were later interested in astronomy.
Stephen Hawking: I had come to Cambridge to do cosmology and cosmology I was determined
to do.
Stephen Hawking: At that time, it became clear something was not quite right with me. Already
in Oxford, I had noticed that I could no longer row a Sculling boat properly. The Christmas
after arriving in Cambridge, I went home. It was a very cold winter and my mother persuaded
me to go skating on the lake in Saint Albans even though I knew I was not up to it. I fell
over and had great difficulty getting up again. My mother realized something was wrong and
took me to the doctor. I spent weeks in Barts Hospital and had many tests. They never actually
told me what was wrong but I guessed enough to know it was pretty bad so I didn't want
to ask. In fact, the doctor who diagnosed me washed his hands of me and I never saw
them again. He felt that there was nothing that could be done.
Stephen Hawking: At first, I became depressed. I seem to be getting worse really rapidly.
There didn't seem any point working on my PhD because I didn't know if I would live
long enough to finish it. But then, the condition developed more slowly and I began to make
progress in my work. After my expectations had been reduced to zero, every new day became
a bonus and I began to appreciate everything I did have. While there is life, there is
hope, and there was also a young woman called Jane whom I had met at a party. Getting engaged
lifted my spirits and I realized if we were going to get married, I had to get a job and
finish my Ph.D. I began to work hard and I enjoyed it.
While there is life, there is hope.
You may become depressed for a while. You may have to fight your tears. You may struggle
to find the point of doing anything.
But no feeling lasts forever.
No sadness or hopelessness persists if we start looking for the bright side.
If we start realizing that there is always space for joy and purpose.
Don’t let disappointment stop you.
Right now, I am sure there is something in your life that is precious and you want to
protect.
It may be your family, it may be a hobby, it may be a moment.
Focus on that.
Appreciate that.
Use it, whatever it is, as fuel to create the best life possible.
Crying and complaining may be important to get your feelings out, but after a while,
they won’t take you anywhere.
You are the only factor that decides your success.
The rest are mere circumstances.
The rest are just challenges for you to overcome and become better.
Persist.
Never give up.
This is the only way you’ll ever get the life that you want.
Stephen Hawking: I decided to write a popular book. I thought I might make a modest amount
to help separate my children at school and the rising costs of my care, but the main
reason was because I enjoyed it. While I was writing it, I visited Switzerland and I became
critically ill with pneumonia and lost my voice tube to a tracheotomy. But I kept putting
a lot of effort into the book because I think it's important for scientists to explain their
work, particularly in cosmology. I never expected "A Brief History of Time" to do as well as
it did. Not everyone may have finished it or understood everything that they read but
they at least got the idea that we live in a universe governed by rational laws that
we can discover and understand.
There are many ambitious experiments planned for the future. We will match with the positions
of billions of galaxies and with the help of supercomputers like COSMOS,
we will better understand our place in the universe. Perhaps one day, we will be able
to use gravitational waves to look right back into the heart of the big bang. Most recent
advances in cosmology have been achieved from space where there are uninterrupted use of
our vast and beautiful universe. But we must also continue
to go into space for the future of humanity. I don't think we will survive another thousand
years without escaping beyond our fragile planet.
Stephen Hawking: So let me finish by reflecting on the state of the universe. It has been
a glorious time to be alive and doing research in theoretical physics. Our picture of the
universe has changed a great deal in the last 50 years and I'm happy if I have made a smaller
contribution. The fact that we humans who are ourselves mere collections of fundamental
particles of nature have been able to come this close to an understanding of the laws
governing us in our universe is a great triumph. I want to share my excitement and enthusiasm
about this quest. So remember to look at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make
sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And
however difficult life may seem there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters
that you don't just give up.
Never give up.
The Universe is immense.
The possibilities are endless.
The future is here.
If mankind is to reach its greatest potential, each individual must do so.
This is our calling.
This is your calling.
To be better.
Smarter.
Stronger.
To make a revolution with brilliant ideas.
To share your voice and your gift to the world.
And bring about the change you want to see.
It all starts with a spark. The ignition to move forward even when you fall down. Even
when it is too hard. Even when the pain is too great.
Those who never made it gave up too early.
They didn’t give time for things to change and develop.
But you know better.
You will play your role in this universe.
To reach the highest heights and conquer a place among the stars.
Commit to your full potential.
The impossible doesn’t exist.
It’s just a matter of time. All the things we have right now with science and technology
were thought to be impossible years ago.
Go after your dreams. Aim high.
While there is life, there is hope.
While there is life, anything can be done.