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I can’t think of a better way to kick off the weekend than by watching this Stanford Commencement speech by Steve Jobs in 2005. If you haven’t seen this video, I highly recommend it!
Even if you have seen it, it is worth another watch through. :)
Some of my favourite quotes from the speech:
On Connecting the dots:
“You 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. You have to trust in something- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path. That will make all the difference.”
On Love and Loss:
“I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. 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.”
On Death:
“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.”
Very powerful and VERY true. That is one smart man.
What a great speech he did, lovely post :)
What a great speech he did, lovely post :)
Such powerful words. It truly is an inspiration– I’ve been guilty for so long of living up to people’s expectations and not following my own heart or intuition. Truly brilliant!
What a great speech! I really needed that this afternoon :)
Thanks Angela, I’ve never seen this! I’m so inspired :) Great way to start the weekend.
I just loved this. Thanks as always Angela!
Thank you for the inspiration! It was very much needed and appreciated today. :)
one night when i was feeling really down, my mom sent me this video and insisted that i watch it. i t was sooo surprisingly refreshing and encouraging. glad you posted it! have a great weekend =)
He’s right- remembering what is TRULY important is….so important ;) thanks!
I’m at work & therefore cannot watch to the video yet… but just reading those paragraphs quoting what he says touched me.
I love the idea about remembering you’ll be dead soon (as morbid as that sounds!)… it really puts things in perspective!
Oh what a fabulous speech! I loved the last paragraph about living someone else’s life, not being trapped by dogma, try to find your own voice and listen to your own intuition….YES!!! That’s how I have always tried to live my life. I feel sometimes like I am walking up a very steep hill, against the wind, and with the rain at my face…not always following along to the beat of everyone else’s’ drummer is sometimes VERY hard..but…I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Good to know Steve Jobs wouldn’t either :)
Great video post, Angela! And I saw all kinds of your yummy food on FG yesterday and the day before. Congrats :)
What a coincidence – I recently showed this clip to a class I teach (because Steve Jobs references Stewart Brand who published The Whole Earth Catalog in the late 1960s and early 1970s – we were discussing the influence of the catalog on Apple Computers) “stay hungry, stay foolish” :) What words of wisdom! – thanks for sharing Angela, and have a great weekend!
Love love LOVE these quotes!
That was fantastic! Very timely as well…I’m an undergrad and in a time in my life where I am questioning everything…who I am, who I want to be, what MY goals are, who am I doing this for. This reaffirms that I must always listen to MY heart. Thanks for posting!
This was a really great speech! Thanks for posting this. Happy Friday!
I love this speech. My Dad had sent this to me during my senior year of college in 2007 and I’ve gone back to it many times. Always inspirational!
I think it’s so important to remember to do what you love so that you are always loving what you do. That is something I hope I will never forget :)
What Steve Jobs says is so true! Thanks for sharing this video with us :)
Thanks for sharing this inspiring speech. I am going to share this with my brother as well.