Steve Jobs: Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish! - Stanford Commencement | ENGLISH SPEECH with BIG Subtitles

Summary

In this inspirational commencement speech, the speaker shares three personal stories about life lessons: connecting the dots, love and loss, and the inevitability of death. The first story highlights how following curiosity and intuition led to breakthroughs, despite dropping out of college. The second discusses overcoming public failure after being fired from Apple and finding new success with Pixar. The final story reflects on facing death and the importance of living authentically, following one’s heart and intuition. The speaker encourages graduates to stay true to themselves, be fearless, and embrace life's challenges with passion and curiosity.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker emphasizes the importance of following one's interests and curiosity, even if it leads to unconventional paths like dropping out of college.
• 🔗 The concept of 'connecting the dots' retrospectively is highlighted, suggesting that life's experiences, though seemingly disconnected, often have significant impacts later on.
• 💖 The speaker shares a personal story of love for work, illustrating that passion can lead to success but also to challenges like being ousted from a company one founded.
• 🔄 The idea of embracing change and starting over is presented as a positive force, allowing for personal growth and new opportunities.
• ❤️ The importance of loving what you do is underscored, as it is the key to satisfaction and doing great work.
• ⚰️ A reflection on death and its role as a motivator for living a meaningful life is shared, urging listeners to prioritize what truly matters.
• 📅 The speaker advises to live each day as if it were the last, to ensure one is pursuing their true desires and not wasting time on unimportant matters.
• 💊 A personal experience with a life-threatening illness is recounted to stress the fragility of life and the need to seize the day.
• 🌟 The speaker encourages graduates to stay 'hungry' for knowledge and 'foolish' in the sense of being brave enough to take risks and challenge the status quo.
• 📚 A reference to the Whole Earth Catalog's philosophy of 'stay hungry, stay foolish' is used to inspire graduates to maintain a mindset of curiosity and innovation.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the commencement speech given in the transcript?

The main theme of the speech is about life experiences and lessons learned, focusing on three key stories: connecting the dots of one's life, love and loss, and facing death.

Why did the speaker drop out of Reed College?

The speaker dropped out of Reed College because he couldn't see the value in the education he was receiving, had no clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life, and was spending all of his parents' life savings on tuition.

What was the significance of the calligraphy course the speaker took at Reed College?

The calligraphy course influenced the design of the first Macintosh computer, which was the first computer with beautiful typography, including multiple typefaces and proportionally spaced fonts.

How did the speaker's biological mother's wishes impact his early life?

The speaker's biological mother wanted him to be adopted by college graduates, which led to his adoption by parents who later ensured he attended college, setting the stage for his life's trajectory.

What was the turning point in the speaker's career at Apple?

The turning point was when the speaker was fired from Apple, the company he co-founded, due to a falling out with the Board of Directors who sided with someone he had hired to run the company.

What did the speaker do after being fired from Apple?

After being fired from Apple, the speaker started a company named NeXT, invested in a company named Pixar, and later fell in love with a woman who would become his wife.

How did the speaker's perspective on life change after being diagnosed with cancer?

The speaker's perspective on life was reinforced by his cancer diagnosis, which made him realize the importance of following one's heart and not wasting time living someone else's life.

What is the meaning behind the quote 'Stay hungry, stay foolish' that the speaker mentioned?

The quote 'Stay hungry, stay foolish' is a farewell message from the Whole Earth Catalog, suggesting a mindset of continuous learning, curiosity, and the willingness to challenge the status quo.

What advice does the speaker give to the graduates about finding what they love?

The speaker advises graduates to find what they love, emphasizing that the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what they believe is great work, and to keep looking if they haven't found it yet.

How does the speaker describe the impact of death on life and personal priorities?

The speaker describes death as life's change agent, clearing out the old to make way for the new, and as a tool to help make big choices by stripping away external expectations and focusing on what is truly important.