June 12th 2005 Stanford commencement speech
Text: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
Not sure about anyone else, but the quote above does a lot for me, no matter how many times I've reread it.
AEneid, iv. 604.
What need have I to fear--so soon to die? Let me work on, not watch and wait in dread: What will it matter, when that I am dead That they bore hate or love that near me lie? 'Tis but a lifetime, and the end is nigh At best or worst. Let me lift up my head And firmly, as with inner courage, tread Mine own appointed way on mandates high. Pain could but bring from all its evil store, The close of pain: hate's venom could but kill; Repulse, defeat, desertion, could no more, Let me have lived my life, not cowered until The unhindered and unchastened hour was here. So soon--what is there now for me to fear?
-- Edward Rowland Sill
while the tech scene will miss him a lot, my thoughts go to his family who'll miss him most.
Right now, theres someone working on his own startup in their garage because he was inspired by Steve Jobs.
The dots will connect one day. Even if others don't believe you, because you will die one day anyway.
It's inspirational and great.
It's going to be missing someone who has the absolute credibility to say it.
Anyone can be a tyrant. If Steve Jobs was a dictator, it was because people thought he had the right to be.
Even though most of us never knew him, we all feel as if we did know him very well; his inventions, complete labours of love, have become so central to how we live our lives. The profound impact his creations have had on us cannot make us feel any other way.
I didn't go to college, and I remember having a shitty job back in the day, saving so hard to buy a PowerBook G4, but it was completely worth it because purchasing that machine literally changed my life. Without a computer that was an absolute joy to use, I would have never spent so many hours learning how to code and consequently now have the career opportunities that I do.
I feel eternally indebted to Steve, despite having never met the man myself. By creating the wonderful tools he did for us to work with, I feel he is significantly responsible for the career I have today.
To one of the few that can say ‘I changed the world’, thank you.
Rest in peace Steve
Thanks Steve, I certainly feel like you've done something for me even though I've never met you.
That's what Commodore 64 did for me (I grew up with it), and that might be the reason that I'm not the least impressed by any of Apple's products. Furthermore, Apple's conduct -- patent litigations, DRM, "simple" user interfaces -- it all goes against the spirit of opennes and sharing in the "old days" when people shared their code and hacks as printouts in computer magazines.
Steve Jobs may rest in peace, he did a lot. I got enormous respect for him when I learned that he basically saved Pixar, and that's what I will remember him for.
Apple, the company, could disappear tomorrow and I wouldn't miss it the slightest.
(I know I'll get downvoted by Apple fanboys, but so be it.)
I can't think of a better way to put this. I think it's fair to say that we benefitted from his life just as much if not more than he did.
The former doesn't care about who you are. The latter cares deeply, and expresses in by placing genuine faith in you. Everything being said by the people who worked with him indicates that they feel humbled and honored by the experience. It's hard to get upset with someone's approach when you know in your bones that it got you to the top of your game.
What people feel in response to that is love.
[EDIT] "He was dubbed a megalomaniac, but Steve Jobs often gambled on young, largely inexperienced talent to take Apple forward; Jony Ive and his team prove that such faith was spot on."
This shot was shown for about 5 seconds right at the beginning of the recording. Front row, center. Reserved. Empty.
He shall be missed.
I never met you, but you were an inspiration. Rest well, Steve.
Steve insisted on subordinating technology to human purposes and narratives. It might be his most important lesson.
-- Jobs (via secondary source [1])
[1] http://www.macstories.net/news/inside-apple-reveals-steve-jo...
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
- Steve Jobs
Quotes like this get me thinking back to my fascination reading about Cognitive Dissonance in Psych 101.
This makes me just more sad. Or maybe I am just at a bad place in life.
I did just that, modifying the game to the point it was no longer playable. I had saved the file and effectively broke it. I shut off the computer, and never told my uncle.
The excitement of that moment stuck with me and was the enabler of the amazing life I've had since.
Thank you Steve Jobs. RIP.
My heart goes out to his family and friends. Steve was a childhood hero of mine as far back as I can remember. The world was a much better place with him in it.
I really shouldn't admit this but /cough circa 1997 I had abandoned Apple. I had a PC and Linux box at home and Unix terminal at school. I remember being impressed by this campaign and hopeful that Jobs would fix Apple. But I couldn't have imagined what Apple and Steve Jobs had in store for the world. What a remarkable recovery. Thanks Steve.
- Inscription on Steve Jobs' star at the Entrepreneur Walk of Fame in Cambridge, Mass., unveiled on 9/16/2011: http://instagr.am/p/NPa4o/
Honestly, how many people care about how much is in their bank account after they die? Probably not very many.
Plenty chase riches while they're alive, however. And good old Steve was no exception.
Jobs hadn't run out of ideas though.
I think Paul Graham's post earlier today had something for us to remember as we work through this great, deep loss:
"I flew into the Bay Area a few days ago. I notice this every time I fly over the Valley: somehow you can sense something is going on. Obviously you can sense prosperity in how well kept a place looks. But there are different kinds of prosperity. Silicon Valley doesn't look like Boston, or New York, or LA, or DC. I tried asking myself what word I'd use to describe the feeling the Valley radiated, and the word that came to mind was optimism."
Here's to Steve, and his relentless optimism. Here's to the next big idea and the next person who changes the world like he did.
On our lives. How many people on HN own iPhones and MacBooks?
There's no more fitting tribute to the man than to throw some Beatles up on iTunes and create something wonderful.
Gentlemen, let's make a dent in the universe.
His vision will be missed. He left an indelible mark on a generation of technology users, and then did it again.
"You know, I've got a plan that could rescue Apple. I can't say any more than that it's the perfect product and the perfect strategy for Apple. But nobody there will listen to me." -- Steve Jobs, Sept. 18, 1995
"If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it's worth -- and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago." -- Steve Jobs, Feb. 19, 1996
The best ideas are the ones you have to force on people.
A more 'perfect' PR stunt, the official autobiographer of Steve Jobs couldn't ask for...before you start downvoting me for a seemingly insensitive comment, I don't mean that is perfect that he died. Absolutely not.
I am dealing with the loss just like any other tech-loving fan-boi.
Just pointing out that it the PR storm generated around this book as a result of his passing, will be nothing like he could have ever paid for....i.e. it is 'perfect' (from a selling the books perspective).
Perfectly sad...otherwise.
Talk about consistently having the right timing in almost everything he does.
Also, it was most likely moved up to sell more during the holiday quarter.
From what little information has been released about the book, Steve was just about as hands-off as you can be (no request to read it before publishing, no demands about off-limits topics, etc.).
The author also responded to speculation that the publication date had been moved up because of a rumored decline in Jobs' health. "It's actually not related to any decline," he said. "I turned most of the book in this past June. It's now all done and edited. The March 2012 date (or whatever date it was) was never a deeply-considered pubdate. Like the original cover design, it came about because the publisher wanted to put something in the database last spring."
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/08/15/biography_of_a...
http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Walter-Isaacson/dp/14516485...
That link was NOT an affiliate link.
How about checking before slandering?
If you care to learn more about the disease and the search for a cure, check out "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer" by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Fascinating, scary and sobering.
I understand that people die in other ways too, of course, but I think cancer is a common agent that is just how dying works. It's like getting gray hairs -- you can do things to try and stop or cover it up (and some people will get old without much graying), people can fantasize about a fountain of youth that will keep your body at age 21 forever, but the reality is that graying is just part of aging and nothing is going to change that despite any realistic effort that humans can put in. Cancer is part of dying for many, many people. It's not going to go away despite our best efforts to mitigate its effects or eradicate it entirely.
I once read the supposed confession of a medical research assistant that "cancer" as a general thing is not curable but they keep the myth alive because "cure cancer" makes a really decent slogan.
Steve Jobs was the person who inspired me to join the tech industry. I first really knew who Steve Jobs was after watching the (not so bad) made-for-tv movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley." I always knew I wanted to work with technology but after seeing that movie I knew I wanted to be part of the Silicon Valley culture that Steve helped create. Steve has inspired me for years and I am extremely sad about this loss. We will all miss him dearly.
RIP Steve Jobs
Perhaps his biggest ding was inspiring so many of us to pursue our own dings.
R.I.P.
I'm left with a feeling of ambivalence. I feel bad that he couldn't enjoy the fruits of his labor by retiring and spending time with his family or whatever other interests he had. At the same time, I know that he wouldn't have had it any other way.
He recognized his gift and shared it with all of us. The experiences when using his products and the emotions when hearing him speak. I feel blessed just to have been a witness to such a human's life.
That said, Steve was a great force in the world of technology, and whether you liked their products or not, you have to appreciate Apple's effect on competition in the marketplace...they simply continue to push the envelope, and technology wouldn't be what it is today with Steve and his creations. RIP.
A part of me can't help to think that Apple is now just a "normal" company. But I hope his charisma and vision will stick and be strong enough to live on for many more decades in Cupertino.
Despite all this, sitting in my living room, I am totally devastated by these news! This is true greatness.
RIP Steve
The site slowed to a crawl, pg kept things afloat by dialing back the number of stories on the front page, the black bar came out, and here we all are.
And one who was fired, watched his company driven right to the precipice, and brought it back.
The arc of a hero.
August 6, 1997. Greatness doesn't happen at the top but at the bottom: http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-202143.html
(But I like Apple more. ;) )
For the past 10 years I've made a living developing on all kinds of Macs. Couldn't imagine work without them.
Best of all, I loved watching Steve's keynotes. No one can distort reality the way he did.
I didn't even know him, but I feel like I'll miss knowing he's there, ready to present:
"one more thing.."
On any given afternoon around 1981-1982, the geeks at my middle school could all be found gathered around a dozen Apple II+ and Apple IIe machines in the computer room. The British instructor who had set them up and taught us code fundamentals really encouraged us to explore and experiment (and fought a losing battle to keep us from bringing our game floppies into the room).
I thank him for that as well.
For purely selfish reasons -- what could Steve have imagined next? -- he passed far too soon.
Here’s a short tale of mine when I worked at Apple:
One sunny autumn day, Steve (he was always Steve) was walking across Apple’s campus with a reporter toward Caffe Macs. I was walking a few feet behind, enough to hear the reporter asking about Steve’s family. As we approached the entrance, Steve stopped and opened the door for an employee carrying trays of food outside. The employee never looked up but said "Thanks." "Sure," Steve replied. Just then, at least two dozen people followed the employee out. Because of where the reporter was standing, none of the employees (as far as I could tell) noticed who was holding the door for them. Steve continued holding that door, talking to the reporter, until I came up and offered to take his place as doorman. "Thanks," he said. "Sure," I replied. He smiled and invited the reporter inside.
That’s it.
Whatever else you may read about Steve, whatever else happens in his life or to Apple or to the world of computing, know that he opened doors for people.
R.I.P. Steve. We're all better off thanks to your time on the planet.
(credit to kawika, link below)
He will be sorely missed.
What he managed to do, though, is genuinely incredible, and he has much to be proud of. He made the world more beautiful.
RIP, Steve.
As someone who is starting and striving to build beautiful software and become an entrepreneur, Jobs is an inspiration.
He has done more than few could hope to achieve.
I feel saying anything else will just sound corny, which is not what he deserves.
So RIP Steve.
http://images.apple.com/home/images/t_hero.png
Here's to you Steve, thank you for the inspiration over my lifetime.
RIP SJ. You certainly changed the world.
NSObject.
Best wishes to his family.
Thank you Steve for being an inspiration in our lives and making the world a better place. You will be missed forever. Rest in peace.
My condoloences to your family.
RIP Steve, you inspired us and we loved you for it.
Congratulations to all of those who had that opportunity. The rest of us will have to make do with a mere shadow of his personality.
But what a remarkable shadow it is.
RIP Steve. Thank you for everything you've done to bring your magic to the world. Thank you also for things you haven't done, but easily could have.
No matter how you slice it, the man loved what he did, and he did it brilliantly. The amount of people who use a device designed under his watch every single day of their lives is utterly astounding, through his work, he connected with hundreds of millions of people, and changed the game of consumer electronics numerous times.
I hope I can have a even a small sliver of his passion, commitment, and vision in my own life.
Of course he did. I think he held onto this thing until the very last second. I wouldn't be surprised if the actual resignation wasn't a long-ago prepared statement sitting in his lawyer's drawer for years. End-stage liver disease also means a rapid mental decline, so I'm assuming they triggered the resignation as soon as he was irreversibly incapacitated.
As an inventor, he's the main name (though with significant help and industrial design by others) behind the iMac, iPod, iPad, iPhone - all dominant leaders in their respective sectors.
It's curious that you'd put Larry Ellison's achievements above all of that.
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it, and like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don't settle."
June 12th 2005 Stanford commencement speech
And that's what I ended up trying to do.. Thank you Steve and rest in peace.
I'll do my best to stay hungry, stay foolish.
On a personal note, if it weren't for Steve Jobs' relentless determination to revolutionize the mobile industry, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to make a living writing games for a platform I love. Thank you and RIP Steve.
I'm grateful that Steve invested in Pixar. Those animations are inspiring.
So for me it's iPhone + Pixar. The rest, with respect, is just normal computer business - iMacs and so on. That is, build them cheap in China, sell them expensive in fancy stores with marble floors and huge glass windows. Not a lot going on there except manufacturing and clever business, and half-decent product design including the OS if you're a fan of that style of computer.
But for sure, it's sad he died young and he was obviously a hero to many. I liked his speech to the uni students, he seemed to have a calm outlook and interest in life and death and everything in between.
You have done a great deal for humanity, and for that we are very grateful for your time on earth. You represented the best of human intellect and human drive for perfection. We are inherently imperfect as humans, but you have proven, with fantastic flair and awe, that humans can attain perfection. Perfection is no longer a concept, it is embodied in the iPad, the iPhone, the MAC OSX, the iPod, the MAC Book Pro, and all the ingenious, useful, monumental products you have introduced to our world.
We stand proud as humans because of you and the few other men and women who have stood strong and lead with courage and change our world for the better. For Ever!
My condolences to your family, your fans, your friends, and your colleagues.
The most important lesson from Steve Jobs
Don't be afraid to be wrong.
It is sad that the first time I write about Steve Jobs is when he's passed away.
I've never owned an Apple product. So, my love and respect for Steve is entirely based on the way he lived his life.
I've always believed that one must do exactly what one loves. Life's too short to waste doing other stuff. What for, anyway? Money? Power? They pale in comparison to the electric feeling of creating something new, something you dreamed up.
Let people tell you you're crazy. You will probably fail. That's ok.
Steve failed a lot. But, what kept him going?
He wasn't afraid to be wrong.
Don't be afraid to be wrong. Make that dent.
However, I would feel more emotionally impacted if Jobs was less egocentric. His world was just that: His world. If something did not meet his vision, he was ready to talk down to it. Even if he was right, his attitude and politics made it difficult for me to really warm up to him.
All I can say is that I wish his family and friends a good life after their tragedy. Regardless of what I think, they knew a man they will never forget.
My life (childhood, education, and career) have been touched in tremendously powerful way by this man and his passion.
RIP Steve.
And that's how I got inspired to get into computer science, learn programming, to build games like that or do cool stuff with computers.
"Maybe they had an inkling that he'd actually work on Breakout with Wozniak, who they already knew from his low chip PONG. As Allan later said "Jobs never did a lick of engineering in his life. He had me snowed. It took years before I figured out that he was getting Woz to 'come in the back door' and do all the work while he got the credit."
"The original deadline was met after Wozniak did not sleep for four days straight. In the end 50 chips were removed from Jobs' original design. This equated to a US$5,000 bonus, which Jobs kept secret from Wozniak, instead only paying him $375."
I hope Woz gets a similar level of recognition and mourning when he passes (decades into the future, hopefully)
"do not go gentle into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light. "
Steve Jobs seemed to have been possessed by the second type of muse, but one that never let go but just kept driving him. Even if some of use used few Apple products, Steve had a vision and always kept demonstrating that more was possible, that things could be better than they had been.
He'll be missed.
Ultimately, this adds a sense of urgency to my own efforts to start a company and help bring a piece of the future to fruition, as I can no longer count on Steve to get us there.
Thank you Steve, for your vision, good taste, boundless drive and the inspiration you have given me and countless others. You will be sorely missed. :.(
The world has lost a unique and brilliant technology-business-design leader, the likes of which are few and far between.
Thank you Steve, RIP
When I read the news, it really felt like he was hanging on until he knew his company was in good hands and he could pass on. Just an incredible human being in every aspect. He will be sorely missed.
Thank you for your vision, creativity and inspiration.
also, the Apple homepage really is beautiful in its simplicity. I hope they leave it like this for awhile.
It is easy to love role models but damn difficult to follow them, Today I promise myself that I'll try to follow lessons taught by Steve Jobs. Thank you Sir for giving human side to technology.
http://www.ppp.ch/fileadmin/francais/Politique_developpement...
This affected me far more than I could have expected. Even though I never once met Steve in person, I'm profoundly affected in so many ways by his clarity of vision, drive, steadfast beliefs, and in the end, the way he dealt with his mortality.
A sad, sad day.
RIP Steve Jobs, thanks for everything. You have been an inspiration to my entrepreneurial career.
I can honestly say that I think my life if better because of this. Lets hope they can continue to innovate and improve people lives to the same degree that mine has been influenced.
Steve died a day after the launch of the iPhone 4S do you think he hung on until then just from sheer willpower alone?
I know my contribution will just be a tiny digital drop in the tide of condolences that's coming in right now.
But R.I.P Steve Jobs. You'll be missed.
I haven't the words.
What a remarkable career and life. You have inspired millions (billions?) and will truly be missed.
RIP.
I am so very sad, but when I think of his life and gifts, all I want to do is applaud.
a moment of hush for mr. jobs.
Think different.
I think we need eat an delicious apple today in memory of Steve Jobs.
You did good, HN.
But Steve has been an inspiration for the past decade or so. Brilliant, passionate, energetic, and visionary in a way that no one else can ever be.
I don't believe any company in history has had the 10 year record of Apple in the 00's. He's a genius in technology and business... but you can't study him like any other company. Case studies on Apple don't work. Because other companies don't have Steve.
Sidenote: You know he had a profound impact when the news of his departure slows down HN this much. R.I.P.
I've only ever owned two Apple products, but I am constantly inspired by Steve Jobs. No one else has had more of an impact on how I work as a designer and developer.
And somehow it wasn't just because he was able to create brilliant products. He had such an authentic character, that it somehow humanized the incredible work his company did and made it seem approachable and noble.
I will always be sad that I never got to meet him.
Perhaps you really do never understand the gravity of losing something until you lose it.
RIP Steve, thank you.
It's nice to have a sexy laptop, but life's just too damn short.
