Not Giving Up
Despite Apple’s tremendous success, much of which was due to
Jobs, after ten years at Apple a power struggle ensued and he
was fired. Having already achieved more than most people ever
dream of, Steve could have rested on his accomplishments. In
fact, his friends advised him to retire. But Steve remained true
to himself. He loved his work. And, he believed he had more to
contribute so he invested in two more companies, NeXT comput-
ers and Pixar. Most experts predicted he would fail. Once again
Jobs proved them wrong. Addressing the 2005 graduating class of
Stanford University, Jobs explained: “I’m convinced that the only
thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got
to find what you love . . . Your work is going to fill a large part
of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what
you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is
to love what you do . . . Don’t settle.” 4
Never Settling
Steve Jobs has never settled. He refused to change in order fit in.
He remained dedicated to his ideas despite the doubt of others.
And, he went forward after being fired from Apple rather than
settling for the easy life.
Jobs has always remained true to himself. “Your time is lim-
ited,” he told the Stanford graduates, “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 other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most
important have the courage to follow your heart.” 5 This is exactly
what Steve Jobs has done. In the process, he has changed the
world.
12 Steve Jobs