One of the greatest innovators of our time passed away last night.
Steve Jobs was more then just a business man or computer nerd, he has changed the way we do life through the creative technology that has in many ways defined our culture.
When I heard the news last night, I thought of the excitement of my family getting a Aqua IMac when I was fifteen. I thought of my first laptop, an Ibook which I’d bought on ebay with the money I saved working at a convenient store when I was seventeen, and how I felt so professional carrying around that sleek white machine to write my thoughts on. It didn’t even connect to the internet.
Beyond the legacy of his products, here are some words of wisdom this influential man left behind.
(All quotes taken from a Huffington Post Article)
Don’t Focus on Numbers
“We’ve never worried about numbers. In the market place, Apple is trying to focus the spotlight on products, because products really make a difference. […] Ad campaigns are necessary for competition; IBM’s ads are everywhere. But good PR educates people; that’s all it is. You can’t con people in this business. The products speak for themselves.”
Keep it Simple
“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.”
Creating Can Bring Unity
“I think part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians, poets, artists, zoologists and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world.”
Live Like You Are Dying
“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.”
Think Different
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
“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. … Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
(The last two quotes were taken from a commencement address to Stanford University in 2005, right after Jobs was diagnosed with cancer. The whole thing is worth reading.)
brookelouvier.com 
love it.
Excellent post. Love that last line he said at the commencement: stay hungry, stay foolish.