There is no doubt that Steve Jobs He is considered throughout the world as a perfectionist visionary, who took his ideas to the great technological advances of the 20th century. It was also a source of inspiration, with phrases that went down in history.
The co-founder of Applewho died in 2011 As a result of the pancreatic cancer that afflicted him in the last stage of his life, in addition to being the face of the apple brand, he is known for being the soul behind Pixar and revolutionizing several industries such as computing, music and telephony, among others.
His life inspired films and his business career was not linear. He left Apple in 1985, founded several companies, acquired Pixar (studio that transformed digital animation) and in 1997 he returned to Apple. Since his return, he revolutionized the technological world by presenting innovations such as iMache iPad and the iPhone.
It was characterized by emphasizing disruptive innovation and having an obsession with design and functionality. Like the genius they said he was, His personality was complex and he is remembered as someone extremely demanding. and sometimes difficult to deal with. In his last presentations he perfected himself as a showman, his events were awaited by the world of technology.
In this context, the co-founder of Apple once stated: «Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.«. What does it mean and what did he mean by that? In what context did he say it?
That is probably his most famous quote and is part of one of the most inspiring speeches in contemporary history. It is the forceful memory of finitude and the smallness of the human being. The impression that life is too short to waste.
Steve Jobs spoke these words in June 2005 during his graduation speech. Stanford Universitywhere in his more than 14 minutes of intervention he inspired the generations who were there.
The context that gave it weight: the cancer that he told on stage
What makes his phrase so powerful is also provided by the context in which Jobs found himself. There he said that a year earlier, in 2004, he had been diagnosed with a pancreatic cancer: «I didn’t even know it was the pancreas,» he joked in the middle of his speech.
He said that doctors told him that it was «practically incurable» and that his life expectancy would be «between three and six months.» However, when reviewing the tumor it was a very rare type of disease, which could be cured with surgery. «It’s the closest I’ve ever been to death: no one wants to die«, he assured on that occasion.
«Your time is limited, so don’t spend it living someone else’s life,» he said. the phrase. Which continues like this: «Do not let yourself be trapped by dogma, which is living according to the results of the thinking of others. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.«.
It is a reminder that life is one, that mortality is there, from the beginning of life. The fear of what they will say is irrelevant and following one’s instincts, living authentically, is what will make The time before death does not matter, since it will – inevitably – come.
