Remember you are going to die 15 Jun 2005
17 comments Latest by GO77
Steve Jobs at Standford University’s Commencement on Sunday:
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice…Remembering you are going to die is the best way to avoid the fear that you have something to lose.
17 comments so far (Jump to latest)
ffub 15 Jun 05
I prefer to remember I’m a womble. It can be both humbling and emboldening.
Reuben 15 Jun 05
Hahaha!
Britt 15 Jun 05
I thought this was a great speech, one that I wish I had heard when I graduated. It gives me more respect for Steve Jobs as well.
Ray 15 Jun 05
It’s very inspiring, and moving. I’ve sent it to all my nieces and nephews (they’re in their 20’s), and hope they can get something out of it.
It encourages me, too, as I contemplate making a big change in my work…
Ben Whitehouse 15 Jun 05
At my graduation James Earl Jones said to the assembled crowd…
“May the force be with you.”
kbeegle 15 Jun 05
I may have mistyped the html on the quote to the PBS web site, it should lead to: http://www.pbs.org/johngardner/sections/writings_speech_1.html
Michelle 15 Jun 05
In context, from somebody gradumacated from that ceremony: Jobs had just finished telling an anecdote about being diagnosed testicular cancer—for 24 hours they thought it was terminal (and soon), and then a biopsy proved it otherwise.
indi 15 Jun 05
That was a very good commencement speech with good advice about keeping perspective on what’s important in life. I appreciated his comment about only being able to connect the dots in hindsight. When I was laid-off from my engineering job after 11 years I was more than a bit worried … but a few months later I found a new position at a better company at a substantially higher pay rate. Meanwhile the web design work I started during the downtime between jobs for a doctor friend has continued to this day (eight years later) and has provided unexpected additional income. So if I hadn’t have been laid-off … ???
Bryan Veloso 15 Jun 05
Damn, they got Steve Jobs and my college got the producer of “The West Wing,” who had mentioned that he was best friends with Jerry Seinfield… who I wished at the moment was doing the speech instead.
Nick Mracek 16 Jun 05
I’d just like to say that the speech has been beaten like a dead horse. Obviously, everyone should drop out of college so when I get my degree I can find work. Jobs is a great guy, I admire his timing but I’m over the speech.
Justin 17 Jun 05
The first rule of…. Ah never mind.
Ryan 17 Jun 05
It’s spelled “Stanford.”
Jon Konrath 20 Jun 05
That’s funny, when I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, I also remind myself that someday, Steve Jobs will die.