Steve Jobs Sanford Commencement Speech

In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a commencement speech to the graduating class of Stanford University. Jobs’ main focus was on the importance of individualism in ones life. During which he told three stories, one about “connecting the dots”, one about “love and loss,” and one about “death.”  In “connecting the dots,” Jobs talks about his experiences as a college drop out and how it helped change the way he lived his life.  In “love and loss,” we learn about what happened to Steve during his absence from Apple and what he took from that experience.  Finally, the last story, “death.”  In this final story, Jobs tells students about the importance of living every day like it was your last because (like Jobs learned) you may never know what day will be your last. An individual should be able to look back and be happy with their past decisions, rather than looking back on their life in regret.

Throughout his entire speech, Jobs keeps on the idea that an individuals ideas and goals is what is important in life, using examples from his life to show this. If Jobs had never dropped out of college or took that calligraphy course, the personal computers of today would probably look a lot different. If he hadn’t been kicked from Apple and gone off on his own path, we would never have movies like Toy Story or Monsters Inc.

One quote in particular was very interesting…

"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."

This is a great quote to live by. He goes on to encourage students to not let others opinions cloud ones own opinions. While it may be cheesy, following your heart may be your best option. Being an individual is what should be important.

Jobs ends his speech with a quote, “stay hungry, stay foolish”. This quote reiterates his idea that the individual drive is what can lead one to success. Jobs encourages the students to “stay hungry” for success in their lives but also to “stay foolish” by seeking out your passions in life.