My iPhone 6 (yes, I still use this model, much to the chagrin of my teens) is an indispensable part of my life. As I recall those days when I had one of those old fliptop cellphones not too long ago, I wonder at how much technology has changed our lives. And Steve Jobs, who is maybe The Hero of everyday technology, played a huge part in that impact.

Steve Jobs’ success story is certainly inspiring. And there are many informative articles as well as super-cool books about Steve Jobs (some of them mentioned later in this post).

Steve Jobs – In His Words

Note: All quotes from Steve Jobs (gathered from various sources and books)

Be Focused on What You (Really) Want

“If you keep your eye on the profit, you’re going to skimp on the product. But if you focus on making really great products, then the profits will follow.”

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”

Do What You Love: Love What You Do

“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. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

“What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating, I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. And so I decided to start over.”

Keep it Simple, Keep it Beautiful

“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

“When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”

Innovate Bravely

“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” 

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”

“Let’s go invent tomorrow rather than worrying about what happened yesterday.”

“I’m as proud of many of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.”

Persevere

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non successful ones is pure perseverance.”

Do Something Wonderful

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me… Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” 

Embrace Creativity

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.”

“If I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.”

Be You

“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.” — Steve Jobs

The Hero of Everyday Technology

While I am fairly proficient with technology, the sleek design of these products and the simplicity of use appealed to me, as it does to billions around the world. That ease makes using everyday technology such a delight. Being able to use products right out-of-the-box makes the most complex technology accessible to even lay users. And it does not hurt that it all comes in a visually stunning package (yes, even my trusty old iPhone 6)! This was the result of a single man’s vision – that of Steve Jobs.

Jobs was a true hero of technology, design, and innovation. He created wants (and needs) that did not exist before! Steve Jobs truly revolutionized how we look at and design technology.

He certainly was (is) a Hero of Everyday Technology!

Random Musings

It took me a long while to jump on the smartphone bandwagon. But when I did do so, I fell in love with the iPhone. And I still love it. As for an iPod that I received as a gift on a Mother’s Day long ago, I never saw it past the moment of opening it 🙂 (Here you go mom!) I recall writing a post when he died in October 2011 (maybe the only such post for a public figure on my blog if I think about it).

The Books

Both books included below are for younger audiences and I will include more here over time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

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The Articles

I enjoyed reading these articles so I am sharing them with you

• 5 Important Life Lessons Steve Jobs Wanted You to Learn
• Steve Jobs: ‘Technology is nothing’—here’s what he said it really takes to achieve great success
• 8 ways Steve Jobs changed the cellphone world 10 years before the iPhone X
• Jobs’ Biography: Thoughts On Life, Death And Apple
• How Steve Jobs’ Love of Simplicity Fueled A Design Revolution
• The Real Story Behind Apple’s ‘Think Different’ Campaign

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, whose life and/or success story has inspired you? Which of these quotes or others from Jobs reached out to you? Who is your hero of everyday technology?

As for me, Steve Jobs is one among many who have inspired for one reason or the other; there are many more unsung heroes too. It is hard to pick one among the zillion quotes out there (the ones featured today are but a small sampling) but these ones caught my attention

“For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” — Steve Jobs

“And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” — Steve Jobs