Thursday, October 6, 2011

Quote of the Day: Steve Jobs on Death and Courage

From Steve Jobs' commencement address at Stanford, June 14, 2005:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

I had quoted a portion of this speech before, in a previous post:
Quote of the Day: Steve Jobs, on what's important, back on March 13, 2011

I think it's worth quoting from that speech more fully today.

"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."


"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

"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 [1955-2011]

Steve Jobs

By now you've all heard the news about Steve Jobs, nothing more for me to add. I did happen to really like this graphic produced by Jonathan Mak, though:
http://jmak.tumblr.com/post/9377189056



Select comments:

Larry Page:
https://plus.google.com/106189723444098348646/posts/4wkYwTCCgAc

"I am very, very sad to hear the news about Steve. He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me. He was very kind to reach out to me as I became CEO of Google and spend time offering his advice and knowledge even though he was not at all well. My thoughts and Google's are with his family and the whole Apple family."


Sergey Brin:
https://plus.google.com/109813896768294978296/posts

"From the earliest days of Google, whenever Larry and I sought inspiration for vision and leadership, we needed to look no farther than Cupertino. Steve, your passion for excellence is felt by anyone who has ever touched an Apple product (including the macbook I am writing this on right now). And I have witnessed it in person the few times we have met.

"On behalf of all of us at Google and more broadly in technology, you will be missed very much. My condolences to family, friends, and colleagues at Apple."


Mark Zuckerberg:
http://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10100100934727791

"Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you."


Bill Gates:
http://www.thegatesnotes.com/Personal/Steve-Jobs

"I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.

"Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.

"The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.

"For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."


On a less serious note, it appears that the unofficial way to mourn the death of Steve Jobs is to keep your iPhone (or iPod or Mac or whatever) at half charge today. Just do a Twitter search on "iphone half charge" to see what I mean.
http://twitter.com/#!/search/iphone%20half%20charge

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Song of the Day: Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill

Heard this song in a podcast lately. I love the mood. See if you don't agree.

Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04mfKJWDSzI