Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
I would like to share with you one of my favorite speeches here. It is the one Steve Jobs delivered in 2005 as the keynote speaker for the Stanford University’s graduation ceremonies. It is an immensely moving and inspiring address from one of the most successful business leaders in the world. The video is above, but the highlights of the speech for me are the following statements:
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.
And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to
be priceless later on.
I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did.
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.
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.
Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent.
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 peoples 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 …
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
“The Whole Earth Catalog” – Stewart Brand (from raynghm)
It’s the back cover of the last issue of the “Whole Earth” magazine Steve Jobs referred to in his speech.
