Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Steve Jobs was not perfect, by any means he was not the iGod as some of his most enthusiastic followers would have labelled him. But whatever we may conclude about him as a person, he ultimately was a human being that dared to make a difference with his products and ideas. Still, what will keep him in our mind for some time after this, will be something non-commercial: his will to make a difference by sharing his insights to life, and by encouraging others to go their way.

Find below some of the quotes I personally found the most touching from his June 12, 2005, commencement speech at Stanford University.

May he rest in peace, and may his being encourage others to unrestfully work for peace.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, 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.

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 importantly, 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.

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About Marcus Pietrzak

Marcus Pietrzak is Management Development Leader CEE and Senior Organization Leadership Consultant at IBM. - He works with all management levels in his organisation, and helps them to find new approaches towards their personal leadership philosophy and change. His personal and professional interests include organisational psychology, adult education, management & organisational development and management innovation. "When connecting the dots of my career, I realized that developing people in each stage of their leadership career has always been at the core of what I've been doing. From studies to research, from workshops to coaching, from assessment to training: identifying and shaping the very best of the leadership capabilities within my clients, has always received my undivided attention and formed my mantra: the success of the people who look for our support and guidance - this will always be the ultimate measure of our success in leadership development." - (mp)