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Best Steve Jobs Quotes for Everyone

October 14, 2011 By Deb Chitwood 17 Comments

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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.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs (Image by Nicola Albertini)

“[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:

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

 

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Previous article: “Follow Your Heart” Word-Art Freebie
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Filed Under: Best Quotes, Inspiration Tagged With: best steve jobs quotes, Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs Day, Steve Jobs quotes, Steve Jobs tribute, Whole Earth Catalog

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janet says

    October 14, 2011 at 6:55 pm

    Deb, aloha. What a great collection of quotes from Steve. Thank you for celebrating his day this way.

    In exchange for all of yours above, here is one for you from Steve:

    “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”

    Best wishes for a terrifc weekend. Until next time, aloha. Janet

    Reply
    • Deb says

      October 14, 2011 at 7:05 pm

      Thanks so much, Janet! What a wonderful quote! It’s amazing to think of how many areas his ideas can be applied to. I hope you have a terrific weekend, too! 🙂

      Reply
  2. sheila says

    October 15, 2011 at 5:57 am

    Steve Jobs was brilliant in SO many ways

    Reply
    • Deb says

      October 19, 2011 at 11:44 pm

      Thanks for your comment, Sheila! I totally agree!

      Reply
  3. Nicole says

    October 16, 2011 at 5:34 am

    He’ll be missed a lot. He was a true technology legend. His services are unbelievable.

    Reply
    • Nikki says

      October 16, 2011 at 5:37 am

      True heroes never die and he was one of them. He’ll be miss all over the world for his services.

      Reply
      • Deb says

        October 19, 2011 at 11:48 pm

        Great way to put it, Nikki! I love the concept that true heroes never die.

        Reply
    • Deb says

      October 19, 2011 at 11:46 pm

      Thanks for your comment, Nicole! I’m truly amazed at how much Steve Jobs did in his life … and that he gained a lot of wisdom in areas besides technology as well.

      Reply
  4. Kirsty says

    October 20, 2011 at 7:57 pm

    These are all wonderful!

    Reply
    • Deb says

      November 2, 2011 at 8:59 pm

      Thanks, Kirsty! I didn’t realize before how much wisdom Steve Jobs had shared.

      Reply
  5. Misty says

    October 21, 2011 at 12:08 am

    These are all very encouraging quotes from a person who truly impacted the world. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Deb says

      November 2, 2011 at 9:01 pm

      Thanks so much for your comment, Misty! Steve Jobs definitely impacted the world in many ways.

      Reply
  6. Andrew Clarke says

    January 4, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    Hey Deb,

    Thanks for posting this one. I really admire Steve Jobs for his dedication, passion, and brilliance. He really is one of the best people that has contributed to our world. He made a difference.

    Reply
    • Deb says

      January 11, 2012 at 6:07 pm

      Thanks for your comment, Andrew! Steve Jobs definitely was an amazing example of dedication, passion, and brilliance! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Mary says

    April 7, 2012 at 8:13 pm

    The Stanford commencement address was really great. That first quote really applies to our kids: letting them follow their passions, then later looking back and seeing how those projects they pursued relate to the adult they became. But you don’t know which projects at the time. It may be the ones you are trying to discourage for ones you as the parent find more worthwhile. Tricky!

    Reply
    • Deb says

      April 14, 2012 at 5:07 pm

      Thanks for your comment, Mary! It is interesting to see how our kids’ passions become an important part of their adult lives. I’ve been fascinated at seeing how it worked in my own kids’ lives. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Life matters says

    September 19, 2015 at 9:59 am

    Steve Jobs was really hero and was very brilliant in SO many ways.All quotes are very inspiring.

    Reply

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