Famous Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Kumar Gauraw

This is the famous speech by the legendary Steve Jobs. This speech has been spoken the most about, watched the most and a few things have been criticized as well. However, it is one speech that falls in my favorite cateory and therefore, I decided to share on my website as a resource to go back to watch whenever there is a need for me and for you.



A few things he said in this speech that I found very inspiring are:

  • You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

  • 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. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

  • I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that 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, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

Kumar Gauraw

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Kumar Gauraw is a Personal Branding & Social Media strategist helping entrepreneurs and skilled professionals achieve personal and professional success by developing leadership and leveraging the power of the Internet, Blogging and Social Media.

2 Awesome Thoughts So Far, Add Yours Now...

  1. I have seen this video many times and love his perspective on knowing that your time is short so go and do something to make the most of it. That one thing keeps me motivated everyday too.

  2. Absolutely Mayank. That is the truth of life and he said it well.

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