Best Steve Jobs Quotes for Everyone

Today is Steve Jobs Day. In honor of the day, I’ve selected my favorite Steve Jobs quotes that can apply to anyone. As much as Steve Jobs was known as an innovator of technology, these are quotes that can be used whether you’re an entrepreneur, athlete, musician, teacher, student, or anything else.

“[Y]ou can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”

“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? So this is what we’ve chosen to do with our life.”

“For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”

“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

“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. 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 until you find it. Don’t settle.”

“Things don’t have to change the world to be important.”

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.”

“We’re just enthusiastic about what we do.”

“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” (favorite phrase of Steve Jobs from the final edition of the Whole Earth Catalog)

“I want to put a ding in the universe.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.”

The 2005 Stanford Commencement Address was the source of many of the best Steve Jobs quotes:

“Follow Your Heart” Word-Art Freebie

Photo Credit: Photo at top of post by Nicola Albertini at Flickr Creative Commons (License).