When it comes to being a powerful keynote speaker, Steve Jobs has to be at the top of the list as one of the greatest. While he is considered a great marketer who delivered many keynote speeches for Apple as he introduced their new line of products, the one that stands out the most was the one he gave at Stanford on June 12, 2005.
Many people wondered why it did not go on longer and as pointed out on Forbes…
The speech was short. The speech lasted for just fifteen minutes. As the TED conference has learned in its 30-year history, 15 to 18 minutes is an ideal length of time to deliver a substantive message without putting an audience to sleep. A lot of powerful messages have been delivered in under 18 minutes. John F. Kennedy inspired a nation in 15 minutes and Martin Luther King shared a vision of racial equality in 17 minutes.
Here is the Stanford speech along with some reviews and thoughts from those who saw it:
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.
His message displayed a simple yet deep understanding of how to live life fully. Like all great masters, he makes the complexity of life feel so deceptively effortless. The wisdom in those words can drive a life of purpose.
One of the greatest speeches of the 20th Century to a bunch of college grads from a college drop out. Awesomeness.
Steve Jobs is really a marketing genius. He doesn’t use any complicated words or deep words. Yet, his speech is so deep but yet understandable by everyone. To make difficult things simple, is the difficult part.
“This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades.”. Sadly, he only lived 6 more years after this speech.
This is one of the greatest speeches I’ve heard. Stanford graduates are lucky to have such an intelligent person speak in front of them!
Ten year later, I have finished my 2 years national service, graduated with a honors degree, had a job for 3 years. But now, I have decided to quit and take 2 years away to develop my own business. Here I am again, much clearer of my goals, what makes me happy and all. It’s scary but I will take that leap of faith
During my time at college, I would watch this before an exam, or before a presentation I was going to give. My first tattoo is of a wolf, with the quote “stay hungry, stay foolish”. This speech changed my life, and I always try my best to live by those words.
This was such a beautifully crafted speech. I’m positive that it has already inspired thousands of people and will continue to do so. It sure as hell touched me, in-fact I cried while watching it. Thanks, and rest in peace Mr. Jobs
This is one of my favorite speeches. I listen to it to motivate myself and reorient my priorities when the chips are down. So inspiring. I watched this 6 years ago, it transformed my life ever since, today I watched it again, I cried again. Steve was so awakening to his existence.
The only billionaire I had respect for. The only person I look up to. Those who think that Steve lost the battle to Cancer are wrong. Steve Jobs is more alive than a lot of people I see everyday. The energy he left in this world is still felt by young entrepreneurs like me.
Whenever I am lacking motivation and lost, I come here and watch this. Every word is so inspiring and this helps me to get on track of my goal.
Compare this beautiful speech with the POS platitude filled nonsense Eric Garcetti gave to the USC class of 2019. This is the clear comparison between a true innovator and a mealy-mouthed elected official.
Steve Job’s speech – a timeless masterpiece that we can still comment on and praise it. Tim Cook’s – unemotional and tedious with comment’s section disabled. Indeed Apple has changed over the last decade.
I think this is one of the best speeches.I learned from this speech that it is important to never give up on the brink and to have a need for a goal.
Wow that is the best speech I’ve ever heard for graduates. I feel so inspired to do what I love now instead of what others think I’m supposed to do. Why did they laugh when Steve was talking about death, this speech was one of the best thing in my life, every time I watch this video, tears become my eyes and makes me think about my life.
I was a senior in High School when I first found this video online. Then I went to college. I kept doing what I believe is right, and enrolled in some class that share nothing common with my major. I went from Bicycle to second hand Honda to BMW M4 and got a pilot license.I challenge myself on the hardest courses and talk to people I did not along with. Today I gradated the college, drive a sport car, and own a sushi restaurant. Then I clicked this video again. And I pretty sure what I will do start from tomorrow morning.
He is the only person whom i look up to and admire. I want to be like him, design and make something innovative in the world of technology. I want to work for Apple and take it to greater heights as for now, it’s facing a stiff competition from Google. I am in 12th and i have always admired him. I still remember this incident (i heard about it when i was 13 or something). “”When engineers working on the very first iPod completed the prototype, they presented their work to Steve Jobs for his approval. Jobs played with the device, scrutinized it, weighed it in his hands, and promptly rejected it. It was too big. The engineers explained that they had to reinvent inventing to create the iPod, and that it was simply impossible to make it any smaller. Jobs was quiet for a moment. Finally he stood, walked over to an aquarium, and dropped the iPod in the tank. After it touched bottom, bubbles floated to the top. “Those are air bubbles,” he snapped. “That means there’s space in there. Make it smaller.”. “”.