Quotes from Steve Jobs

There will be acres of words written about Steve Jobs.  All I can say is Thank You.



While not an obituary, this is a passing.  Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO of Apple.  You may have heard of the company.  His accomplishments are many, and he will be recognized as one of the most influential figures of the baby boom generation.  For me, he is the stubborn man that overruled his design team and insisted his new music player have no buttons.  The design team got one. Thus was the ipod born.  If you need proof that one man and his vision can change the world, look no further than Steve Jobs.

Here are some of his quotes collected by Jennifer Valentio-DeVries on the Digits blog at WSJ.com.  Some selections here:

“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.” [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

“The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don’t mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don’t think of original ideas, and they don’t bring much culture into their products.”

“I am saddened, not by Microsoft’s success — I have no problem with their success. They’ve earned their success, for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third-rate products.” [Triumph of the Nerds, 1996]

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]