The late “witch” Apple has many profound, memorable statements about creativity and invention in the field of technology.
1
Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.
Sometimes life will throw bricks at you. Do not lose faith.
2
It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.
The problem is not money. The problem lies in the lessons of being a person, how you are a leader, and what you get.
3
Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.
I don’t care about being the richest man in the graveyard… Saying we did something great before going to bed every night… that’s important to me.
4
Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.
Simplicity can be more difficult than complex: You have to put a lot of effort into keeping your thinking neat to achieve simplicity. But in the end it’s worth the effort because once you get there, you can move mountains.
5
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.
Remembering that I am going to die is the most important tool I have ever had to help me make the big choices in life. Because most things – all futile hopes, pride, fear of losing face or failure – all of this fades away when we face death, leaving only what is really important. Remembering that you will die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you still have something to lose. You really have nothing. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
6
Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.
Don’t let other people’s opinions drown out your heart.
7
Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.
Sometimes you make mistakes while innovating. It’s best to quickly accept it and keep improving on your other innovations.
8
I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.
I’m as proud of what we didn’t do as I’m proud of what we did.
9
Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.
Great things in business are never done by one person, they come from a team.
10
It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy .
Being a pirate is more fun than being a marine
11
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? ” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
When I was 17 years old, I read a quote: “If you live each day as if it were your last, one day you will be right.” That statement really made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I’ve looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I Want to do what I’m going to do today?” And whenever the answer is “no” for days in a row, I know I need to make a change.
12
Keep looking. Don’t settle.
Let’s continue to search. Do not give up.
13
Stay hungry, stay foolish.
Live long, live foolishly.
14
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.
You have to believe in something – intuition, fate, life, causality or whatever. This approach has never let me down and it has made a difference in my life.
15
We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.
We don’t get the chance to do too many things, and every single thing we do has to be really great. Because this is our life. Life is too short, and then you die, you know? And we all choose to do this with our lives. So what we do should be good. So worth it.
16
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
Innovation is what separates leaders from followers.
17
The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.
The only way to feel satisfied is to do what you think is great
18
“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?”
Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugar water or do you want a chance to change the world?
