Steve Jobs Speech

Even though Steve Jobs never graduated college, he is considered one of the most charismatic orators of our generation. As Chief Executive Officer of Apple Computer Inc., he has taken the company to new heights through his powerful and entertaining speeches. In one of his more serious speeches, addressed to the Stanford University, he delivered what I think is the most inspiring speech to this day. His main point was to “...have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” He also makes a point to stress living for today. "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right”, is how Mr. Jobs tells us to live.

At one point in his life, he tells of of a time when he was diagnosed with a surely fatal type of pancreatic cancer. His doctor hinted that he would not live for long. Since he thought he did not have long, he thought long and hard about what was truly important in life, and started pursuing different dreams. He had a surgery to remove his tumor, and now he remains healthy. Although he is not trying to invoke a feeling of sympathy, he does, and by doing this he makes the listener pay closer attention. And realize that everybody should “live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.”

That night, Mr. Jobs spoke in a way which was not overwhelming with fancy language use, and he was definitely not trying to impress anyone with his experiences. He was not trying to market a product, but merely explaining to us how he has been fortunate, and how we can do the same.

“Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.” Steve Jobs is here hinting at commonly excepted dogmas of the world. He believes you should try things out for yourself, rather than accept someone else’s opinions. This is exactly how I live my life, and that is why Mr. Jobs address to Stanford University is my favorite speech.