Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

TL;DR Steve Jobs advises graduates to trust that past experiences will connect in the future, to pursue work they love despite setbacks, and to let the awareness of mortality guide their choices.

Trust that life events connect backward, not forward

• Jobs dropped out of Reed College after six months because he did not see the value in required classes.
• He audited a calligraphy class out of curiosity without expecting practical use.
• Ten years later, this knowledge allowed him to design beautiful typography into the first Macintosh computer.
• He argues you cannot connect dots looking forward, but only looking backward.
• You must trust that these dots will connect in your future.

Getting fired from Apple was a positive event

• Jobs co-founded Apple at age 20 and led it for ten years.
• He was fired from the company he started due to a conflict with the hired CEO.
• This loss removed the heaviness of success and replaced it with the lightness of being a beginner.
• He founded NeXT and Pixar during this period.
• Pixar created the first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story.
• Apple bought NeXT, allowing Jobs to return and lead the company’s renaissance.

Love what you do to achieve satisfaction

• Jobs believes you must find what you love in both work and relationships.
• Work fills a large part of your life.
• True satisfaction comes only from doing great work.
• Great work comes only from loving what you do.
• If you have not found it yet, keep looking and do not settle.

Remembering death helps you make important choices

• Jobs reads a quote daily about living each day as if it were his last.
• This habit helps him avoid external expectations, pride, and fear of failure.
• He was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer but survived after surgery revealed a rare, curable form.
• Death is the best invention of Life because it clears out the old to make way for the new.
• Your time is limited, so do not waste it living someone else's life.
• Do not be trapped by dogma or the noise of others' opinions.
• Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

Next steps

• Follow your heart and intuition even when it leads off the well-worn path.
• Keep looking for work you love until you find it.
• Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.