“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.”
“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. 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.”
“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 important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”~ Steve Jobs
Whether you think he is a great man, whether you think he's corrupt or greedy or someone who's got the blood and pain and sweat of millions of workers out there, whether you like Apple or loathe Apple, admire his work or hate his work, you cannot deny that regardless of what sort of man Steve Jobs might have been, he still accomplished many, many great things in the life that he was given. It could have been great and wonderful or great and terrible, but it was great. Even if such technology and innovation, such addiction and distraction becomes the ruin of man, it would be at the hands of only one man; one great man; and it would be this man.
His inspiration is for all of us to have done something wonderful for the world. Something that has at least changed the lives of a small group of people for the better. I recently watched the film Ballet Shoes. Three orphans, all abandoned by their parents at birth become sisters, and they vowel to put their names into the history books, to achieve greatness, to have the names which are uniquely theirs engraved into the history of humanity.
Our lives are at stake every second of everyday. The ultimate threat of death is always there, we always have something to lose. Take the leap. Make the jump. Take a risk if you think it could take you somewhere wonderful, and perhaps one day make the world just that little bit more wonderful too.
"In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes." ~ Benjamin Franklin
ReplyDeleteThe part about not wasting my time living someone else's life really spoke to me. I personally despise shying away from failure and wishing to be someone else more 'successful'. I like to think I shall be someone who follows my heart and courageously take on whatever comes my way. I'm not saying I'm fearless, but I'm not afraid to face them, to do whatever it takes to get to where I want to be - given a little luck and a whole heap of faith. =)
ReplyDeleteWell some people believe in heaven, so that's death's return for them? :/
ReplyDeletelol jeannie, i think steve jobs was saying that in the face of death, we realise we have NOTHING to lose, because we are already naked. thats why we shouldnt be afraid to take the leap of faith and follow our hearts desire~~
ReplyDeleteyou have only have "nothing" to lose because you have your whole life to lose? nothing else matters in comparison
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