Stanford Report, June 14, 2005 'You've got to find what you love' Steve Jobs his is a prepared

te!t of the "o##en$e#ent address delivered by Steve Jobs, "%& of 'pple "o#puter and of (i!ar 'ni#ation Studios, on June 12, 2005) * a# honored to be with you today at your $o##en$e#ent fro# one of the finest universities in the world) * never graduated fro# $ollege) ruth be told, this is the $losest *'ve ever gotten to a $ollege graduation) oday * want to tell you three stories fro# #y life) hat's it) +o big deal) Just three stories) he first story is about $onne$ting the dots) * dropped out of Reed "ollege after the first , #onths, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 1. #onths or so before * really /uit) So why did * drop out0 *t started before * was born) 1y biologi$al #other was a young, unwed $ollege graduate student, and she de$ided to put #e up for adoption) She felt very strongly that * should be adopted by $ollege graduates, so everything was all set for #e to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife) %!$ept that when * popped out they de$ided at the last #inute that they really wanted a girl) So #y parents, who were on a waiting list, got a $all in the #iddle of the night as2ing3 45e have an une!pe$ted baby boy6 do you want hi#04 hey said3 4&f $ourse)4 1y biologi$al #other later found out that #y #other had never graduated fro# $ollege and that #y father had never graduated fro# high s$hool) She refused to sign the final adoption papers) She only relented a few #onths later when #y parents pro#ised that * would so#eday go to $ollege) 'nd 17 years later * did go to $ollege) 8ut * naively $hose a $ollege that was al#ost as e!pensive as Stanford, and all of #y wor2ing-$lass parents' savings were being spent on #y $ollege tuition) 'fter si! #onths, * $ouldn't see the value in it) * had no idea what * wanted to do with #y life and no idea how $ollege was going to help #e figure it out) 'nd here * was spending all of the #oney #y parents had saved their entire life) So * de$ided to drop out and trust that it would all wor2 out &9) *t was pretty s$ary at the ti#e, but loo2ing ba$2 it was one of the best de$isions * ever #ade) he #inute * dropped out * $ould stop ta2ing the re/uired $lasses that didn't interest #e, and begin dropping in on the ones that loo2ed interesting) *t wasn't all ro#anti$) * didn't have a dor# roo#, so * slept on the floor in friends'

roo#s, * returned $o2e bottles for the 5: deposits to buy food with, and * would wal2 the 7 #iles a$ross town every Sunday night to get one good #eal a wee2 at the ;are 9rishna te#ple) * loved it) 'nd #u$h of what * stu#bled into by following #y $uriosity and intuition turned out to be pri$eless later on) <et #e give you one e!a#ple3 Reed "ollege at that ti#e offered perhaps the best $alligraphy instru$tion in the $ountry) hroughout the $a#pus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand $alligraphed) 8e$ause * had dropped out and didn't have to ta2e the nor#al $lasses, * de$ided to ta2e a $alligraphy $lass to learn how to do this) * learned about serif and san serif typefa$es, about varying the a#ount of spa$e between different letter $o#binations, about what #a2es great typography great) *t was beautiful, histori$al, artisti$ally subtle in a way that s$ien$e $an't $apture, and * found it fas$inating) +one of this had even a hope of any pra$ti$al appli$ation in #y life) 8ut ten years later, when we were designing the first 1a$intosh $o#puter, it all $a#e ba$2 to #e) 'nd we designed it all into the 1a$) *t was the first $o#puter with beautiful typography) *f * had never dropped in on that single $ourse in $ollege, the 1a$ would have never had #ultiple typefa$es or proportionally spa$ed fonts) 'nd sin$e 5indows =ust $opied the 1a$, it's li2ely that no personal $o#puter would have the#) *f * had never dropped out, * would have never dropped in on this $alligraphy $lass, and personal $o#puters #ight not have the wonderful typography that they do) &f $ourse it was i#possible to $onne$t the dots loo2ing forward when * was in $ollege) 8ut it was very, very $lear loo2ing ba$2wards ten years later) 'gain, you $an't $onne$t the dots loo2ing forward6 you $an only $onne$t the# loo2ing ba$2wards) So you have to trust that the dots will so#ehow $onne$t in your future) You have to trust in so#ething > your gut, destiny, life, 2ar#a, whatever) his approa$h has never let #e down, and it has #ade all the differen$e in #y life) 1y se$ond story is about love and loss) * was lu$2y > * found what * loved to do early in life) 5o? and * started 'pple in #y parents garage when * was 20) 5e wor2ed hard, and in 10 years 'pple had grown fro# =ust the two of us in a garage into a @2 billion $o#pany with over 4000 e#ployees) 5e had =ust released our finest $reation > the 1a$intosh > a year earlier, and * had =ust turned A0) 'nd then * got fired) ;ow $an you get fired fro# a $o#pany you started0 5ell, as 'pple grew we hired so#eone who * thought was

very talented to run the $o#pany with #e, and for the first year or so things went well) 8ut then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out) 5hen we did, our 8oard of Bire$tors sided with hi#) So at A0 * was out) 'nd very publi$ly out) 5hat had been the fo$us of #y entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating) * really didn't 2now what to do for a few #onths) * felt that * had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that * had dropped the baton as it was being passed to #e) * #et with Bavid (a$2ard and 8ob +oy$e and tried to apologi?e for s$rewing up so badly) * was a very publi$ failure, and * even thought about running away fro# the valley) 8ut so#ething slowly began to dawn on #e > * still loved what * did) he turn of events at 'pple had not $hanged that one bit) * had been re=e$ted, but * was still in love) 'nd so * de$ided to start over) * didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired fro# 'pple was the best thing that $ould have ever happened to #e) he heaviness of being su$$essful was repla$ed by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything) *t freed #e to enter one of the #ost $reative periods of #y life) Buring the ne!t five years, * started a $o#pany na#ed +eC , another $o#pany na#ed (i!ar, and fell in love with an a#a?ing wo#an who would be$o#e #y wife) (i!ar went on to $reate the worlds first $o#puter ani#ated feature fil#, oy Story, and is now the #ost su$$essful ani#ation studio in the world) *n a re#ar2able turn of events, 'pple bought +eC , * returned to 'pple, and the te$hnology we developed at +eC is at the heart of 'pple's $urrent renaissan$e) 'nd <aurene and * have a wonderful fa#ily together) *'# pretty sure none of this would have happened if * hadn't been fired fro# 'pple) *t was awful tasting #edi$ine, but * guess the patient needed it) So#eti#es life hits you in the head with a bri$2) Bon't lose faith) *'# $onvin$ed that the only thing that 2ept #e going was that * loved what * did) You've got to find what you love) 'nd that is as true for your wor2 as it is for your lovers) Your wor2 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 wor2) 'nd the only way to do great wor2 is to love what you do) *f you haven't found it yet, 2eep loo2ing) Bon't settle) 's with all #atters of the heart, you'll 2now when you find it) 'nd, li2e any great relationship, it =ust gets better and better as the years roll on) So 2eep loo2ing until you find it) Bon't settle) 1y third story is about death) 5hen * was 17, * read a /uote that went so#ething li2e3 4*f you live ea$h day as if

it was your last, so#eday you'll #ost $ertainly be right)4 *t #ade an i#pression on #e, and sin$e then, for the past AA years, * have loo2ed in the #irror every #orning and as2ed #yself3 4*f today were the last day of #y life, would * want to do what * a# about to do today04 'nd whenever the answer has been 4+o4 for too #any days in a row, * 2now * need to $hange so#ething) Re#e#bering that *'ll be dead soon is the #ost i#portant tool *'ve ever en$ountered to help #e #a2e the big $hoi$es in life) 8e$ause al#ost everything > all e!ternal e!pe$tations, all pride, all fear of e#barrass#ent or failure - these things =ust fall away in the fa$e of death, leaving only what is truly i#portant) Re#e#bering that you are going to die is the best way * 2now to avoid the trap of thin2ing you have so#ething to lose) You are already na2ed) here is no reason not to follow your heart) 'bout a year ago * was diagnosed with $an$er) * had a s$an at 73A0 in the #orning, and it $learly showed a tu#or on #y pan$reas) * didn't even 2now what a pan$reas was) he do$tors told #e this was al#ost $ertainly a type of $an$er that is in$urable, and that * should e!pe$t to live no longer than three to si! #onths) 1y do$tor advised #e to go ho#e and get #y affairs in order, whi$h is do$tor's $ode for prepare to die) *t #eans to try to tell your 2ids everything you thought you'd have the ne!t 10 years to tell the# in =ust a few #onths) *t #eans to #a2e sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your fa#ily) *t #eans to say your goodbyes) * lived with that diagnosis all day) <ater that evening * had a biopsy, where they stu$2 an endos$ope down #y throat, through #y sto#a$h and into #y intestines, put a needle into #y pan$reas and got a few $ells fro# the tu#or) * was sedated, but #y wife, who was there, told #e that when they viewed the $ells under a #i$ros$ope the do$tors started $rying be$ause it turned out to be a very rare for# of pan$reati$ $an$er that is $urable with surgery) * had the surgery and *'# fine now) his was the $losest *'ve been to fa$ing death, and * hope it's the $losest * get for a few #ore de$ades) ;aving lived through it, * $an now say this to you with a bit #ore $ertainty than when death was a useful but purely intelle$tual $on$ept3 +o one wants to die) %ven people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there) 'nd yet death is the destination we all share) +o one has ever es$aped it) 'nd that is as it should be, be$ause Beath is very li2ely the single best invention of <ife) *t is <ife's $hange agent) *t $lears out the old to #a2e way for the new) Right

now the new is you, but so#eday not too long fro# now, you will gradually be$o#e the old and be $leared away) Sorry to be so dra#ati$, but it is /uite true) Your ti#e is li#ited, so don't waste it living so#eone else's life) Bon't be trapped by dog#a > whi$h is living with the results of other people's thin2ing) Bon't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voi$e) 'nd #ost i#portant, have the $ourage to follow your heart and intuition) hey so#ehow already 2now what you truly want to be$o#e) %verything else is se$ondary) 5hen * was young, there was an a#a?ing publi$ation $alled he 5hole %arth "atalog, whi$h was one of the bibles of #y generation) *t was $reated by a fellow na#ed Stewart 8rand not far fro# here in 1enlo (ar2, and he brought it to life with his poeti$ tou$h) his was in the late 1D,0's, before personal $o#puters and des2top publishing, so it was all #ade with typewriters, s$issors, and polaroid $a#eras) *t was sort of li2e Eoogle in paperba$2 for#, A5 years before Eoogle $a#e along3 it was idealisti$, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions) Stewart and his tea# put out several issues of he 5hole %arth "atalog, and then when it had run its $ourse, they put out a final issue) *t was the #id-1D70s, and * was your age) &n the ba$2 $over of their final issue was a photograph of an early #orning $ountry road, the 2ind you #ight find yourself hit$hhi2ing on if you were so adventurous) 8eneath it were the words3 4Stay ;ungry) Stay Foolish)4 *t was their farewell #essage as they signed off) Stay ;ungry) Stay Foolish) 'nd * have always wished that for #yself) 'nd now, as you graduate to begin anew, * wish that for you) Stay ;ungry) Stay Foolish) han2 you all very #u$h