Skip to main content

Steve Jobs's Inspirational Words



I’m not going to attempt to characterize the impact this brilliant and visionary leader has had on all of our lives. Plenty of writers will cover that.

Instead, I’d like to share how Steve Jobs inspired me with his uniquely insightful perspective on doing great work, life, and death, from his 2005 Stanford University Commencement Speech:


  • Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.


  • You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.


  • The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.


  • Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.


I’ve heard nothing more motivating, inspiring, or empowering in my entire life.

In the same speech, the man who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a year before shared his view on the transient nature of life - something that apparently drove him - and in so doing, left us all with powerful advice:

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.

Rest in peace, Steve Jobs.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Important Bricks Thrown at you

About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and - WHUMP! - it smashed Into the Jag's shiny black side door! SCREECH..!!!! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, he went on. "That's my new Jaguar, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?" "Please, mist...

Situations change with time

A poor boy loved a rich girl. One day the boy proposed her. Then the girl said, "listen! Your monthly salary is my daily hand expenses. Should I be involved with you? How could you think that? I will never love you. So, forget me 'n get engaged with someone else of your level." But somehow the boy could not forget her so easily. 10 years later. One day they became face to face in a shopping center. The lady said, "Hey! You! How are you? Now I'm married. Do you know how much is my husband's salary? Rs. 2 lac per month! Can you imagine? 'n he is also very smart." The guy's eyes got wet with tear by hearing those words. After few minutes her husband came before the lady could say something to the guy, her husband started to say by seeing the guy. "Sir! You here? Meet my wife." Then he said to her wife, "I'm going to assist a project of sir, which is of Rs. 200 corer.’n do u know a fact? Sir loved a girl but he didn't get her....

The Sinking Ship

There were three ships which were nearby when the Titanic sunk. One of them was known as the Sampson. It was 7 miles away from the Titanic and they saw the white flares signaling danger, but because the crew had been hunting seals illegally and didn't want to be caught, they turned and went the opposite direction away from the Titanic. This ship represents us and people like us if we are so busy looking inward at our own sin and lives that we can't recognize when someone else is in need. The next ship was the Californian. This ship was only 14 miles away from the Titanic, but they were surrounded by ice fields and the captain looked out and saw the white flares, but because the conditions weren't favorable and it was dark, he decided to go back to bed and wait until morning. The crew tried to convince themselves that nothing was happening. This ship represents those of us who say I can't do anything now. The conditions aren't right for it and so we wait until cond...