Floor Tape Store

Friday, October 14, 2011

Lean Quote: Legendary Advice From a True Visionary

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do." — Steve Jobs

‎The world has lost a great man. Steve Jobs opened the doors of innovation in a technology world that deeply needed it at the time. His views on the internet, business and life in general truly inspired millions of young people worldwide. To pay tribute to this visionary man, I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes...

On Contribution: "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me … Going to bed at night saying you've done something wonderful … that's what matters to me." - Wall Street Journal 1993

On Instinct: "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." - Stanford commencement speech 2005

On Simplicity: "That's been one of my mantras: focus and simplicity. 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." - Business Week 1998

On Saying ‘No’: “It comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.” - Business Week 2004

On Courage: “Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do” - Apple poster 2001

On Innovation: “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”

On People: ”My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better.” - Fortune 2008

On Life: “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.” - Speech at Stanford University 2005

On Death: “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.” - Speech at Stanford University 2005


Many don't realize but Steve touched all our lives. He inspired so many to be so great. His legacy will be forever etched in the technology world but his legacy to me will be that he lived his life doing the things that were important to him. 

What will you remember most about Steve Jobs?


Stay connect to A Lean Journey on our Facebook page or LinkedIn group.
Follow me on Twitter or connect with me on Linkedin
You can also subscribe to this feed or email to stay updated on all posts.

No comments:

Post a Comment