120 Steve Jobs Quotes On Innovation
Steve Jobs was without a doubt one of the most innovative entrepreneurs of our generation and a true visionary. As co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Apple, Jobs helped usher in the personal computer era with the Apple II and then reinvented the mobile industry with iconic products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad. However, beyond his revolutionary products, Jobs had a profound understanding of innovation and change that inspired many.
This article highlights 120 of Steve Jobs’ most notable quotes on creativity, thinking differently, and pushing boundaries. The quotes are organized by theme to showcase Jobs’ philosophy on topics like challenging the status quo, focusing on simplicity, and thinking beyond conventions. His words provide valuable insight into fostering innovation and driving meaningful progress. From “Think Different” to “Real artists ship”, Jobs’ quotes have enduring relevance to both entrepreneurs and anyone seeking to make their mark.
The article reviews Jobs’ quotes on themes like risk-taking, attention to detail, collaboration and the importance of passion in one’s work. It aims to draw out teachable lessons from his experience in helping spark whole new industries. Studying Jobs’ perspectives on innovation can help unlock fresh ways of thinking that are sorely needed to solve the problems of tomorrow.
1. Inspiration and Visionary Leadership
“One night that summer I took LSD with some other people, and we lay on the grass and looked up at the stars, and it felt like I was the cells in my body regenerating and replicating a million times a second.” – Steve Jobs
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs
“Most people never pick up the phone and call. They just aren’t artists enough.” – Steve Jobs
“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” – Steve Jobs
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“Stay hungry, stay foolish.” – Steve Jobs
“I have always wanted to own and control the primary technology in everything we do.” – Steve Jobs
“My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other’s kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That’s how I see business: great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs
“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” – Steve Jobs
“If you want to live your dreams, you have to be willing to take some risks, and not just think inside the box.” – Steve Jobs
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life.” – Steve Jobs
“We make tools for people. That’s what we’re trying to do. Make their lives easier.” – Steve Jobs
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“We think corporations are basically too hierarchical, and we think that stops innovation. So we believe strongly in small autonomous groups working together, roughly about 7 to 10 for a small group to be highly creative.” – Steve Jobs
“I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.” – Steve Jobs
“Quality is much more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” – Steve Jobs
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D.” – Steve Jobs
“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” – Steve Jobs
2. Obsessing Over Customer Experience
“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backward to the technology.” – Steve Jobs (Former CEO, Apple Inc.)
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” – Steve Jobs
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently – they’re not fond of rules.” – Steve Jobs
“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” – Steve Jobs
“Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer – that the designers are handed this box and told to make it look good. That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs
“We make tools for people, and it’s really important that the design is from the human perspective.” – Steve Jobs
“People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” – Steve Jobs
“The customer is always right.” – Steve Jobs
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs
“To me, design is about simplification.” – Steve Jobs
“You should spend more time focusing on user experience and how to make customers happy. Then, the money will follow.” – Steve Jobs
“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” – Steve Jobs
“Some people aren’t used to an integrated experience and want everything labeled. That’s why they like Windows – because it’s labeled.” – Steve Jobs
“Good designers understand that design is about making technology appealing.” – Steve Jobs
“We work from the assumption that people will like it.” – Steve Jobs
“Nothing is more satisfying than inventing something people don’t know they need yet and have to have. Really that’s the ultimate.” – Steve Jobs
“It’s not the customer’s job to know what they want.” – Steve Jobs
“It takes them a weekend to learn everything there is to know about (my device). With a PC, it might take months.” – Steve Jobs
“People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” – Steve Jobs
“You’ve got to start with the user experience and work back toward the technology – not the other way around.” – Steve Jobs
3. Unleashing Your Creative Potential
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs (From a 1997 Apple Inc. advertisement)
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs (Unsourced)
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs (Unsourced)
“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs (Unsourced)
“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.” – Steve Jobs.
“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.” – Steve Jobs (Unsourced)
“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.” – Steve Jobs (From his 2005 Stanford University commencement address)
“It takes the passion and the focus of an individual to make something really happen.” – Steve Jobs (Unsourced)
“Most people never pick up their potential. They just let it lay there. It’s a sin…” – Steve Jobs (Unsourced)
10.” Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat.” – Steve Jobs (Unsourced)
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs (Unsourced)
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“Nothing is more creative than a limitation.” – Steve Jobs
“Stay hungry, stay foolish.” – Steve Jobs (His last words at a 2005 Stanford University commencement address)
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs (Unsourced)
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” – Steve Jobs
“We think too many analysts mistake themselves for innovators.” – Steve Jobs
“I want to put a ding in the universe.” – Steve Jobs
4. The Art of Simplicity in Design
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs
“Simplify, simplify.” – Steve Jobs
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Steve Jobs
“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.” – Steve Jobs
“The most amazing things that can happen to a human being will happen to you, if you just lower your expectations.” – Steve Jobs
“I’m actually being very serious when I say this: Get rid of as much of your stuff as possible.” – Steve Jobs
“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.” – Steve Jobs
“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” – Steve Jobs
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
“In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.” – Steve Jobs
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.” – Steve Jobs
“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for work as it is for your lovers.” – Steve Jobs
“Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it… Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.” – Steve Jobs
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs
“Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.” – Steve Jobs
“For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” – Steve Jobs
“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” – Steve Jobs
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
5. Challenging the Status Quo with Bold Thinking
6. Staying Focused on What Really Matters
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.” – Steve Jobs
“I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do do.” – Steve Jobs
” Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Steve Jobs
“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” – Steve Jobs
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” – Steve Jobs
“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
“If you wanna make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” – Steve Jobs
“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” – Steve Jobs
“We built Apple to be a company that lasts for generations.” – Steve Jobs
“Focusing… gives new meaning to the phrase ‘keeping ones eyes on the prize.'” – Steve Jobs
“I want to put a ding in the universe.” – Steve Jobs
“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” – Steve Jobs
“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.” – Steve Jobs
“Decisions are made by those who show up.” – Steve Jobs
“Here are instructions for finding the finest castle in all the land: Closed. Open only to prayer & contemplation. Keep out.” – Steve Jobs
“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.” – Steve Jobs
“My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys who kept each other’s kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That’s how I see business: Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs
Conclusion
Steve Jobs left behind an inspiring legacy that continues to motivate many innovators and entrepreneurs today. The quotes highlighted in this article give valuable insight into Job’s visionary thinking and relentless passion for innovation that led to many groundbreaking Apple products. Reflecting on his words can help us challenge our own assumptions with an open and creative mindset. Jobs firmly believed that quality and originality matter more than following market trends or being first to market. His experience shows that truly impactful ideas are often born from following your curiosity and having the courage to think differently. I encourage readers to ponder these impactful quotes from a pioneering figure who showed what determined individuals can achieve.
