Quotes By Steve Jobs That Will Inspire Success & Innovation

In a world constantly evolving with technology and creativity, Steve Jobs remains a towering symbol of innovation, perseverance, and visionary thinking. Co-founder of Apple Inc., Jobs was not only a brilliant entrepreneur but also a master of words. His quotes continue to inspire millions around the globe to pursue excellence, embrace change, and think differently.

In this article, we dive into the most powerful quotes by Steve Jobs, unpacking the deeper meaning behind each and how they can drive success and spark innovation in your personal and professional life.

Quotes By Steve Jobs:

Quotes on Innovation

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.”
“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why else even be here?”
“The best innovation is sometimes the company, the way you organize a company.”
“Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea.”
“I want to put a ding in the universe.”
“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”
“Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.”

Quotes on Success

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Things don’t have to change the world to be important.”
“I don’t care about being right. I care about success and doing the right thing.”
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.”
“My model for business is The Beatles. They balanced each other, and the total was greater than the sum of the parts.”

Quotes on Leadership

“My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to make them better.”
“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”
“It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.”
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.”
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”
“I’m as proud of many of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done.”
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas.”
“Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.”
“We are inventing the future.”
“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.”

Quotes on Work and Passion

“The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.”
“I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did.”
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
“I’ve always been attracted to the more revolutionary changes. Because they’re harder.”
“Let’s go invent tomorrow rather than worrying about what happened yesterday.”
“I don’t think that my role in life is to run big organizations and do incremental improvements.”
“You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.”
“The only way you can create great work is if you love what you do.”
“I’d rather be a pirate than join the navy.”

Quotes on Life and Purpose

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”
“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.”
“Almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death.”
“My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.”
“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”
“I believe life is an intelligent thing: that things aren’t random.”
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

Quotes on 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.”
“You have to not have the same bag of experiences as everyone else does.”
“The people who go to see our movies are trusting us with something very important—their time and their imagination.”
“Innovation comes from saying no to a thousand things.”
“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent.”
“Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation.”
“To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed.”
“I always thought of myself as a humanities person as a kid, but I liked electronics.”
“The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.”

Quotes on Simplicity

“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.”
“Focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex.”
“You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
“It takes a lot of hard work to make something simple.”
“We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.”
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
“Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have faith in people.”
“Getting rid of the crappy stuff is just as important as making the good stuff.”

Quotes on Perseverance

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly.”
“Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.”
“The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again.”
“I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.”
“You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
“I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing.”
“It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”
“I’ve always been attracted to the more revolutionary changes. They’re much more stressful emotionally.”
“You usually go through a period where everybody tells you that you’ve completely failed.”

Quotes on Quality

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”
“When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back.”
“For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”
“Details matter. It’s worth waiting to get it right.”
“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent.”
“The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.”
“I want it to be as beautiful as possible, even if it’s inside the box.”

Quotes on Risk and Failure

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly.”
“Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.”
“I’ve always been attracted to the more revolutionary changes. They’re harder.”
“You usually go through a period where everybody tells you that you’ve completely failed.”
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”
“There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
“The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again.”

Final Thoughts

Steve Jobs’ legacy isn’t just about iPhones and iMacs—it’s about mindset. His words continue to motivate innovators, creators, and dreamers around the world. When you feel stuck, uninspired, or unsure of your path, revisit these quotes. Let them remind you that you, too, can change the world.

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