Steve
Jobs
did ’t
lace
his
wo ds
with
the
usual
humou
o
seek
theat ics
whe
he
add essed
the
g aduati g
stude ts
at
Sta fo d
i
2005.
Du i g
his
comme ceme t
add ess,
he
spoke
about
somethi g
p ofou d
he
had
lea ed
i
life,
a d
that
speech
co ti ues
to
eso ate
with
millio s
of
people
eve
a
decade
afte
his
death.
He
spoke
about
the
si gle
best
i ve tio
of
life,
a d
that
has
othi g
to
do
with
tech ology
o
e t ep e eu ship.
He
told
the
stude ts
th ee
sto ies
f om
his
life,
a d
the
last
was
about
the
best
i ve tio
of
life:
death.
The
clock
is
ticki g
Steve
Jobs’
thi d
sto y
to
the
stude ts
was
about
death.
He
told
them
about
a
quote
that
he
had
ead
at
17,
which
had
left
a
lasti g
imp essio
o
him.
The
quote?
“If
you
live
each
day
as
if
it
we e
you
last,
someday
you’ll
most
ce tai ly
be
ight.”
It
made
a
imp essio
o
me.“A d
si ce
the ,
fo
the
past
33
yea s,
I’ve
looked
i
the
mi o
eve y
mo i g
a d
asked
myself,
“If
today
we e
the
last
day
of
my
life,
would
I
wa t
to
do
what
I
am
about
to
do
today?”
A d
whe eve
the
a swe
has
bee
o
fo
too
ma y
days
i
a
ow,
I
k ow
I
eed
to
cha ge
somethi g,”
the
tech
pio ee
ecalled.The e’s
othi g
ew
about
the
idea
that
limited
time
fo ces
cla ity.
But
how
Jobs
f amed
it
matte s.
He
did ‘t
tell
g aduates
to
accomplish
mo e
o
leave
a
legacy.
He
told
them
ot
to
waste
thei
time
livi g
someo e
else’s
life.Jobs
told
the
kids
about
o e
of
the
ce tai
thi gs
i
life:
death.
“No
o e
wa ts
to
die.
Eve
people
who
wa t
to
go
to
heave ,
do ‘t
wa t
to
die
to
get
the e.
A d
yet,
death
is
the
desti atio
we
all
sha e.
No
o e
has
eve
escaped
it.
A d
that
is
as
it
should
be.
Because
death
is
ve y
likely
the
si gle
best
i ve tio
of
life.
It’s
life’s
cha ge
age t;
it
clea s
out
the
old
to
make
way
fo
the
ew,”
he
said.He
emi ded
them
that
the
‘ ew’
was
the
ve y
stude ts
sitti g
i
f o t
of
him.
But
that
ovelty
wo ’t
last
fo eve .
“Right
ow,
the
‘ ew’
is
you.
But
someday,
ot
too
lo g
f om
ow,
you
will
g adually
become
the
old
a d
be
clea ed
away.
So y
to
be
so
d amatic.
But
it’s
quite
t ue.”What
came
ext
is
o e
of
the
best
pieces
of
advice
f om
the
g eat
Ame ica
i ve to .
“You
time
is
limited.
So
do ‘t
waste
it
livi g
someo e
else’s
life.
Do ‘t
be
t apped
by
dogma,
which
is
livi g
with
the
esults
of
othe
people’s
thi ki g.
Do ‘t
let
the
oise
of
othe s’
opi io s
d ow
out
you
ow
i e
voice,”
Jobs
said.
Follow
you
hea t
Eve y
successful
pe so
who
has
eve
walked
the
Ea th
will
tell
you
o e
thi g:
follow
you
hea t.
Steve
Jobs
said
o e
must
have
the
cou age
to
follow
thei
hea t
a d
i tuitio .”
This
is
the
speech’s
most
quoted
li e
is
also
its
most
misu de stood.
“Have
the
cou age
to
follow
you
hea t
a d
i tuitio ,”
he
said.
It
gets
deployed
i
motivatio al
co texts
as
though
it’s
pe missio
to
be
eckless
o
oma tic
o
self-i dulge t.
But
ead
i
full,
with
the
li e
that
follows,
it
becomes
somethi g
diffe e t:
“They
somehow
al eady
k ow
what
you
t uly
wa t
to
become.
Eve ythi g
else
is
seco da y.”Jobs
is
suggesti g
that
you
deepest
self
—
i tuitio ,
hea t,
whateve
you
wa t
to
call
it,
al eady
k ows
the
a swe .
You
job
is
to
liste .
Not
to
decide.
Not
to
thi k.
To
liste !
Now,
that’s
ha de
tha
it
sou ds.
But
k owi g
what
you
actually
wa t
a d
what
you
thi k
you
should
wa t,
o
what
you’ve
bee
told
to
wa t,
o
what’s
imp essive
o
luc ative
o
socially
app oved,
a e
diffe e t.
Most
people
e d
up
followi g
the
latte
catego ies,
so
they
ha dly
taste
success.This
speech
by
Steve
Jobs
co ti ues
to
eso ate
with
millio s
eve
today.
Eve
wo de ed
why?
He
talks
about
the
ve y
t uth
about
life.
Death
makes
life
clea .
Time
is
fi ite.
A d
you
ow
voice
matte s
mo e
tha
the
c owd’s.
So
if
you
eally
have
a
goal
that
you
k ow
is
what
you
wa t
to
do
i
life,
go
afte
it.
Not
tomo ow.
Not
ext
week.
Go
fo
it
ight
ow.
Because
life
is
sho t.
