This is a prepared text of the Commencement address deliverYou'ed by Steve Jobs, CEO

of Apple Computer and of ixar Animation Studios, on June !", "##$%

& am honored to be 'ith you today at your commencement from one of the finest
universities in the 'orld% & never (raduated from colle(e% Truth be told, this is the
closest &'ve ever (otten to a colle(e (raduation% Today & 'ant to tell you three stories
from my life% That's it% )o bi( deal% Just three stories%
The first story is about connecting the dots.
& dropped out of *eed Colle(e after the first + months, but then stayed around as a drop,
in for another !- months or so before & really .uit% So 'hy did & drop out/&t started
before & 'as born% 0y biolo(ical mother 'as a youn(, un'ed colle(e (raduate
student, and she decided to put me up for adoption% She felt very stron(ly that &
should be adopted by colle(e (raduates, so everythin( 'as all set for me to be
adopted at birth by a la'yer and his 'ife% Except that 'hen & popped out they
decided at the last minute that they really 'anted a (irl% So my parents, 'ho 'ere on
a 'aitin( list, (ot a call in the middle of the ni(ht as1in(2 34e have an unexpected
baby boy5 do you 'ant him/3 They said2 3Of course%3 0y biolo(ical mother later
found out that my mother had never (raduated from colle(e and that my father had
never (raduated from hi(h school% She refused to si(n the final adoption papers% She
only relented a fe' months later 'hen my parents promised that & 'ould someday (o
to colle(e%
And !6 years later & did (o to colle(e% 7ut & naively chose a colle(e that 'as almost as
expensive as Stanford, and all of my 'or1in(,class parents' savin(s 'ere bein( spent
on my colle(e tuition% After six months, & couldn't see the value in it% & had no idea
'hat & 'anted to do 'ith my life and no idea ho' colle(e 'as (oin( to help me
fi(ure it out% And here & 'as spendin( all of the money my parents had saved their
entire life% So & decided to drop out and trust that it 'ould all 'or1 out O8% &t 'as
pretty scary at the time, but loo1in( bac1 it 'as one of the best decisions & ever
made% The minute & dropped out & could stop ta1in( the re.uired classes that didn't
interest me, and be(in droppin( in on the ones that loo1ed interestin(%
&t 'asn't all romantic% & didn't have a dorm room, so & slept on the floor in friends' rooms,
& returned co1e bottles for the $9 deposits to buy food 'ith, and & 'ould 'al1 the 6
miles across to'n every Sunday ni(ht to (et one (ood meal a 'ee1 at the :are
8rishna temple% & loved it% And much of 'hat & stumbled into by follo'in( my
curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on% ;et me (ive you one
example2
*eed Colle(e at that time offered perhaps the best calli(raphy instruction in the country%
Throu(hout the campus every poster, every label on every dra'er, 'as beautifully
hand calli(raphed% 7ecause & had dropped out and didn't have to ta1e the normal
classes, & decided to ta1e a calli(raphy class to learn ho' to do this% & learned about
serif and san serif typefaces, about varyin( the amount of space bet'een different
letter combinations, about 'hat ma1es (reat typo(raphy (reat% &t 'as beautiful,
historical, artistically subtle in a 'ay that science can't capture, and & found it
fascinatin(%
!
)one of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life% 7ut ten years later,
'hen 'e 'ere desi(nin( the first 0acintosh computer, it all came bac1 to me% And
'e desi(ned it all into the 0ac% &t 'as the first computer 'ith beautiful typo(raphy%
&f & had never dropped in on that sin(le course in colle(e, the 0ac 'ould have never
had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts% And since 4indo's <ust
copied the 0ac, it's li1ely that no personal computer 'ould have them% &f & had never
dropped out, & 'ould have never dropped in on this calli(raphy class, and personal
computers mi(ht not have the 'onderful typo(raphy that they do% Of course it 'as
impossible to connect the dots loo1in( for'ard 'hen & 'as in colle(e% 7ut it 'as
very, very clear loo1in( bac1'ards ten years later%
A(ain, you can't connect the dots loo1in( for'ard5 you can only connect them loo1in(
bac1'ards% So you have to trust that the dots 'ill someho' connect in your future%
You have to trust in somethin( = your (ut, destiny, life, 1arma, 'hatever% This
approach has never let me do'n, and it has made all the difference in my life%
My second story is about love and loss.
& 'as luc1y = & found 'hat & loved to do early in life% 4o> and & started Apple in my
parents (ara(e 'hen & 'as "#% 4e 'or1ed hard, and in !# years Apple had (ro'n
from <ust the t'o of us in a (ara(e into a ?" billion company 'ith over @###
employees% 4e had <ust released our finest creation = the 0acintosh = a year
earlier, and & had <ust turned A#% And then & (ot fired% :o' can you (et fired from a
company you started/ 4ell, as Apple (re' 'e hired someone 'ho & thou(ht 'as
very talented to run the company 'ith me, and for the first year or so thin(s 'ent
'ell% 7ut then our visions of the future be(an to diver(e and eventually 'e had a
fallin( out% 4hen 'e did, our 7oard of Birectors sided 'ith him% So at A# & 'as out%
And very publicly out% 4hat had been the focus of my entire adult life 'as (one, and
it 'as devastatin(%
& really didn't 1no' 'hat to do for a fe' months% & felt that & had let the previous
(eneration of entrepreneurs do'n , that & had dropped the baton as it 'as bein(
passed to me% & met 'ith Bavid ac1ard and 7ob )oyce and tried to apolo(i>e for
scre'in( up so badly% & 'as a very public failure, and & even thou(ht about runnin(
a'ay from the valley% 7ut somethin( slo'ly be(an to da'n on me = & still loved
'hat & did% The turn of events at Apple had not chan(ed that one bit% & had been
re<ected, but & 'as still in love% And so & decided to start over%
& didn't see it then, but it turned out that (ettin( fired from Apple 'as the best thin( that
could have ever happened to me% The heaviness of bein( successful 'as replaced by
the li(htness of bein( a be(inner a(ain, less sure about everythin(% &t freed me to
enter one of the most creative periods of my life%
Burin( the next five years, & started a company named )eCT, another company named
ixar, and fell in love 'ith an ama>in( 'oman 'ho 'ould become my 'ife% ixar
'ent on to create the 'orlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is
no' the most successful animation studio in the 'orld% &n a remar1able turn of
events, Apple bou(ht )eCT, & returned to Apple, and the technolo(y 'e developed
at )eCT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance% And ;aurene and & have a
'onderful family to(ether%
"
&'m pretty sure none of this 'ould have happened if & hadn't been fired from Apple% &t 'as
a'ful tastin( medicine, but & (uess the patient needed it% Sometimes life hits you in
the head 'ith a bric1% Bon't lose faith% &'m convinced that the only thin( that 1ept me
(oin( 'as that & loved 'hat & did% You've (ot to find 'hat you love% And that is as
true for your 'or1 as it is for your lovers% Your 'or1 is (oin( to fill a lar(e part of
your life, and the only 'ay to be truly satisfied is to do 'hat you believe is (reat
'or1% And the only 'ay to do (reat 'or1 is to love 'hat you do% &f you haven't
found it yet, 1eep loo1in(% Bon't settle% As 'ith all matters of the heart, you'll 1no'
'hen you find it% And, li1e any (reat relationship, it <ust (ets better and better as the
years roll on% So 1eep loo1in( until you find it% Bon't settle%
My third story is about death%
4hen & 'as !6, & read a .uote that 'ent somethin( li1e2 3&f you live each day as if it 'as
your last, someday you'll most certainly be ri(ht%3 &t made an impression on me, and
since then, for the past AA years, & have loo1ed in the mirror every mornin( and
as1ed myself2 3&f today 'ere the last day of my life, 'ould & 'ant to do 'hat & am
about to do today/3 And 'henever the ans'er has been 3)o3 for too many days in a
ro', & 1no' & need to chan(e somethin(%
*ememberin( that &'ll be dead soon is the most important tool &'ve ever encountered to
help me ma1e the bi( choices in life% 7ecause almost everythin( = all external
expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure , these thin(s <ust fall
a'ay in the face of death, leavin( only 'hat is truly important% *ememberin( that
you are (oin( to die is the best 'ay & 1no' to avoid the trap of thin1in( you have
somethin( to lose% You are already na1ed% There is no reason not to follo' your
heart%
About a year a(o & 'as dia(nosed 'ith cancer% & had a scan at 62A# in the mornin(, and it
clearly sho'ed a tumor on my pancreas% & didn't even 1no' 'hat a pancreas 'as%
The doctors told me this 'as almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and
that & should expect to live no lon(er than three to six months% 0y doctor advised me
to (o home and (et my affairs in order, 'hich is doctor's code for prepare to die% &t
means to try to tell your 1ids everythin( you thou(ht you'd have the next !# years to
tell them in <ust a fe' months% &t means to ma1e sure everythin( is buttoned up so
that it 'ill be as easy as possible for your family% &t means to say your (oodbyes%
& lived 'ith that dia(nosis all day% ;ater that evenin( & had a biopsy, 'here they stuc1 an
endoscope do'n my throat, throu(h my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle
into my pancreas and (ot a fe' cells from the tumor% & 'as sedated, but my 'ife,
'ho 'as there, told me that 'hen they vie'ed the cells under a microscope the
doctors started cryin( because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic
cancer that is curable 'ith sur(ery% & had the sur(ery and &'m fine no'%
This 'as the closest &'ve been to facin( death, and & hope it's the closest & (et for a fe'
more decades% :avin( lived throu(h it, & can no' say this to you 'ith a bit more
certainty than 'hen death 'as a useful but purely intellectual concept2
)o one 'ants to die% Even people 'ho 'ant to (o to heaven don't 'ant to die to (et there%
And yet death is the destination 'e all share% )o one has ever escaped it% And that is
as it should be, because Beath is very li1ely the sin(le best invention of ;ife% &t is
A
;ife's chan(e a(ent% &t clears out the old to ma1e 'ay for the ne'% *i(ht no' the ne'
is you, but someday not too lon( from no', you 'ill (radually become the old and
be cleared a'ay% Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is .uite true%
Your time is limited, so don't 'aste it livin( someone else's life% Bon't be trapped by
do(ma = 'hich is livin( 'ith the results of other people's thin1in(% Bon't let the
noise of others' opinions dro'n out your o'n inner voice% And most important, have
the coura(e to follo' your heart and intuition% They someho' already 1no' 'hat
you truly 'ant to become% Everythin( else is secondary%
4hen & 'as youn(, there 'as an ama>in( publication called The 4hole Earth Catalo(,
'hich 'as one of the bibles of my (eneration% &t 'as created by a fello' named
Ste'art 7rand not far from here in 0enlo ar1, and he brou(ht it to life 'ith his
poetic touch% This 'as in the late !D+#'s, before personal computers and des1top
publishin(, so it 'as all made 'ith type'riters, scissors, and polaroid cameras% &t
'as sort of li1e Eoo(le in paperbac1 form, A$ years before Eoo(le came alon(2 it
'as idealistic, and overflo'in( 'ith neat tools and (reat notions%
Ste'art and his team put out several issues of The 4hole Earth Catalo(, and then 'hen it
had run its course, they put out a final issue% &t 'as the mid,!D6#s, and & 'as your
a(e% On the bac1 cover of their final issue 'as a photo(raph of an early mornin(
country road, the 1ind you mi(ht find yourself hitchhi1in( on if you 'ere so
adventurous% 7eneath it 'ere the 'ords2 3Stay :un(ry% Stay Foolish%3 &t 'as their
fare'ell messa(e as they si(ned off% Stay :un(ry% Stay Foolish% And & have al'ays
'ished that for myself% And no', as you (raduate to be(in ane', & 'ish that for you%
Stay :un(ry% Stay Foolish%
Than1 you all very much%
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