Steve Jobs, who was a co-founder and CEO of Apple INC., was one of the greatest businessmen in American history. Throughout his life, Jobs helped to bring about many crucial pieces of technology and to establish Apple INC. as one of the very best companies on earth. With this said, we bet there's something to learn from (what we think) are the best Steve Jobs quotes.
Under Jobs’ leadership, Apple created the Macintosh computer, the iMac, the iPhone, the iPod, the tablet, iTunes, and a number of excellent inventions. Many of the inventions that Apple built under Jobs’ leadership went on to literally change the world.
Steve Jobs also founded NeXT computers, was a majority shareholder of Pixar, and sat on the Board of Directors for the Walt Disney Company. Throughout his entire adult life, Steve Jobs proved himself to be a capable leader and to have a rare gift for creating successful companies. Here are some of the most inspirational and best leadership quotes from Steve Jobs, one of America’s greatest-ever capitalists.
Without Further Ado:
#1. “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.”
This quote is simple, yet extremely elegant and profound. It is, unfortunately, true that many people do not pick careers which they are passionate about. With this quote, Jobs reminds us how important it is to pick the right career. If you are struggling with a career choice, then you should listen to what Jobs said and choose the path that your heart knows is right!
#2. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
Jobs is right on point here. If you would like to be a leader, then you are going to need to be able to innovate. The reason why innovation is so important is that the ability to use creativity and complex thinking to solve problems is essential to be able to overcome major business obstacles. Many people cannot do this. However, some people are capable of being highly innovative. According to Jobs, the ability to innovate is the key defining trait between leaders and followers. So, if you want to be a business leader, learn to innovate.
#3. “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. “
This quote is very powerful and it shows just exactly how good Steve Jobs was at focusing on the important things in life. Yes, Steve Jobs was a great business leader and innovator. However, he was also someone who knew how to prioritize the right things in life, which is half the battle. If you can prioritize the right things in life too, then it will help you to get much more happiness out of life!
#4. “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.”
Steve Jobs had a very unique way of cutting right to the point and putting things into perspective. With this quote, he is saying that money should not be the only thing that motivates you and that you should try to do something that you believe is worthwhile. At the same time, this quote also speaks to the fact that life is temporary, so you should hurry up and do things that you care about.
#5. “Part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians, poets, and artists, and zoologists, and historians. They also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world. But if it hadn't been computer science, these people would have been doing amazing things in other fields.”
One of his best leadership quotes, this one is very important for business leaders to pay attention to. The reason is that Jobs is saying that a large part of the success on the Macintosh project came about because he had a workforce which had a very diverse skillset. This means that you should not only focus on hiring people who are experts in their field, but who also have other talents which might be useful for your project or for your company at large.
What is very interesting about this quote is that it just goes to show that even the best business leaders can take inspiration from artists, musicians, and creative types. Steve Jobs was great because he thought outside of the books and looked everywhere for inspiration. He found it in the Beatles. If you want to be a great business leader, then you should aim to find unique sources of inspiration as well. You should also consider finding partners that balance you out, as both the Beatles and Steve Jobs ultimately did.
#7. “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. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Many people hesitate to follow their gut because they are unsure if it is the right thing to do or if it will all work out in the end. However, according to Steve Jobs, that is exactly what you have to do in order to succeed. So, if you believe that your gut is saying something, or that your destiny is telling you to do something, then you should probably pay attention to that!
#8. “Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people.”
This is an important piece of knowledge for business leaders to reflect on. The reason why this quote from Steve Jobs is so important is that it reminds you that you must work together with your team in order to accomplish the best possible result. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Find people with talent and work together. Apple INC. would have never come about if Steve Jobs didn’t’ work with Steve Wozniak and a number of other talented individuals.
#9. “Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”
The great thing about this quote is that it shows that when you keep an optimistic mind frame, you can turn bad things into good ones. When Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, he could have sulked and allowed it to destroy him. However, he instead went on to found another company instead. Founding NeXT Computers and then earning high-level roles at Pixar and Disney helped Jobs to regain his status as one of the top businessmen in the country. So, if you go through a negative period in your career, try to see the positive in your situation and bounce back just like Jobs did!
Nobody hits it out of the park every single time. Even the best innovators in the world, Jobs included, have failures from time to time. However, as Jobs says, you should just move on when you make mistakes. You shouldn’t give up or spend time being embarrassed about your failure. You should just quickly start working on your other projects in order to find your next great success.
#11. “I'm convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
If you are an entrepreneur or a business person, then this is an extremely important quote for you to pay attention to. The reason is that many people quit when they are pursuing a business idea or starting a company. According to Steve Jobs, perseverance is absolutely crucial for obtaining success. So, don’t give up! Just keep going, and when you hit a bump in the road, don’t let it stop you. Overcome it!
#12. “I think the things you regret most in life are the things you didn’t do.”
Most people do not want to live with major regrets. If you fall into this category, then you should take this quote from Steve Jobs very seriously. If you want to paint, then paint, if you want to play the violin, then play the violin. The only way to not regret doing things is to actually do them. Many of Steve Jobs’ most famous quotes revolve around the theme of pursuing your passion and taking risks. This one is a good example. So, if you want to live a complete life as he did, then try to avoid having major regrets and take the chances that you are capable of taking.
#13. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
This is one of the most famous Steve Jobs quotes. There is a lot of wisdom in this quote. What Steve Jobs is saying here is that you shouldn’t stop yourself from dreaming, innovating, or creating just because other people might think that your idea is crazy. According to Jobs, the people who end up having the most impact on the world are the same people who were told that they were crazy by their peers. So, if you find yourself in a situation where people are calling your ideas crazy, don’t listen! Steve Jobs didn’t, and it worked out pretty well for him.
#14. “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.”
This quote from Steve Jobs just goes to show you how important innovation is. According to jobs, when you are creating a new product, the inspiration has to come from within you because other people have no idea what they want until they see it. This is a very important concept, and if your company designs new products on a regular basis, then you should take it very seriously.
#15. “When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and… to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money. That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
In other words, according to Steve Jobs, don’t live your life just trying to conform to everyone and everything. Learn to create something of value and you will find that your life can become limitless.
Conclusion
Steve Jobs was a man of deep passion, creativity, genius, and business skill. He is an excellent role model for all entrepreneurs to follow. If you are looking for some inspiration, then hopefully one of the Steve Jobs quotes on this page can provide it.
Your next business breakthrough could be right around the corner, so don’t give up! We've also put together a list of 100 of the Best Leadership Quotes from all walks of life here, from people who've recognized their own vision and chase it.
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