Quotes by Steve Jobs

Our DNA is as a consumer company - for that individual customer whos voting thumbs up or thumbs down. Thats who we think about. And we think that our job is to take responsibility for the complete user experience. And if its not up to par, its our fault, plain and simply.

I dont think Ive ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldnt be ours anymore.

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.

These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups, get medical information, the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. Im not downplaying that.

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Dont lose faith.

Its not a faith in technology. Its faith in people.

Its not the tools that you have faith in - tools are just tools. They work, or they dont work. Its people you have faith in or not. Yeah, sure, Im still optimistic I mean, I get pessimistic sometimes but not for long.

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, its really how it works.

In most peoples vocabularies, design means veneer. Its interior decorating. Its the fabric of the curtains and the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design.

The design of the Mac wasnt what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok what its all about. It takes a passionate commitment to really thoroughly understand something, chew it up, not just quickly swallow it.

You cant connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. 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.

The over-all point is that new technology will not necessarily replace old technology, but it will date it. By definition. Eventually, it will replace it. But its like people who had black-and-white TVs when color came out. They eventually decided whether or not the new technology was worth the investment.

The reason that Apple is able to create products like the iPad is because weve always tried to be at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts.

Ive always wanted to own and control the primary technology in everything we do.

Im sorry, its true. Having children really changes your view on these things. Were born, we live for a brief instant, and we die. Its been happening for a long time. Technology is not changing it much - if at all.

Innovation has nothing to do with how many R & D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R & D. Its not about money. Its about the people you have, how youre led, and how much you get it.

Its hard to tell with these Internet startups if theyre really interested in building companies or if theyre just interested in the money. I can tell you, though: If they dont really want to build a company, they wont luck into it. Thats because its so hard that if you dont have a passion, youll give up.

Pretty much, Apple and Dell are the only ones in this industry making money. They make it by being Wal-Mart. We make it by innovation.

You know, my main reaction to this money thing is that its humorous, all the attention to it, because its hardly the most insightful or valuable thing thats happened to me.