The saddest news of this week is the death of Apple co-founder and technology visionary, Steve Jobs. We might have lost the physical form of Steve Jobs, but we still have the spiritual form, particularly when you read some quotes about his job and how to live life. Here are the 10 quotes that I’ve found from various sources that say the most about the man and his outlook:

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

2. “Do your best at every job. Don’t sleep! Success generates more success so be hungry for it. Hire good people with a passion for excellence.” (businessbrief.com)

3. “Be different. Think different. Better to be a pirate than to join the navy.”(businessbrief.com, paraphrased or quoted from “Young Guns: The Fearless Entrepreneur’s Guide to Chasing Your Dreams and Breaking Out on Your Own” (2009)by Robert Tuchman)

4. “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” (BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998)

5. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” (what he said to make John Sculley quit working for Pepsi and become Apple’s CEO, “Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple”)

6. “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.” (BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998)

7.”My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better.” (allaboutstevejobs.com)

8.”Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” (Subconscious Films/chrishenslin.com)

9.”Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” (Jobs’ voiceover from an unaired Apple commercial featuring Virgin’s Richard Branson)

10. “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.” CNN, May 25, 1993

Quotes from: macstories.net, businessbrief.com, businessinsider.com, newjerseynewsroom.com and virgin.com.

steve jobs

By Monique Jones

Monique Jones blogs about race and culture in entertainment, particularly movies and television. You can read her articles at Racialicious, and her new site, COLOR . You can also listen to her new podcast, What would Monique Say.

5 thoughts on “Top 10: Steve Jobs Quotes”
  1. I like this one:

    You cannot just ask customers what they want and then try to give
    that to them. By the time you get it built, they will want something
    new.- Steve Jobs

  2. Here’s a good one that fits our current economy!

    “A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe
    that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our
    belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers,
    they would continue to open their wallets.” – Steve Jobs

  3. Another really good one… We’ll miss you Steve!

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

  4. Another really good one… We’ll miss you Steve!

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

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *