This was part of the speech given by Steve Jobs at the commencement ceremony at Stanford in 2005, and it was after he was diagnosed with cancer. It kind of motivated me, especially the second paragraph.
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary
5 comments:
A quote I once found long ago, not sure who said it - but I copied it down and often repeat it:
"Truly, the ultimate in life is Death, for there in lies the Reason men strive to make their mark in life."
The speech was remarkable and the pieces you've posted will remain as a testament to a man who saw things bigger than he... and something for the rest of us to live by.
Hope you're hanging in there!
"Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice."
That is my favorite line, but the whole thing is good.
Apple and Stanford are just down the road from here, so when I mentioned this speech to a doctor the other day he remembered and said, at the time many graduates did not like the speech. They did not like or want to hear about their inevitable demise.
that is inspirational, off to google the rest of the speech!
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