Obituary: Father of iRevolution

Very rarely did I long for someone who lived as far away from me as Steve Jobs did. The same feeling for almost everyone on the planet who were not even remotely related to Steve. His death came out as a shock-of-the-day when on Wednesday, late night, Apple announced it formally.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," the company said in a brief statement. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve," they added.

Steve Jobs - 1955-2011

One's legacy is determined by what the world speaks about them, after they are no more. That includes their rivals too. Here is Bill Gates' reaction.

"The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come."

Steve may be absent physically but  his stunning display of perfection and unmatchable aspiration for quality will continue to inspire us. Time after time, he sold people on a product they didn't know they needed until he invented it. And all this on an official annual salary of $1. I stand up and salute this great man who taught us what miracles can be made in 56 years, by fighting a deadly cancer. Steve is the one of the fewer Americans who went on to materialize the "American Dream", if there ever was one.

Whoever you are, Whatever you do, reading these will change the way you see yourself, and the outside world.

Here is some of my favorite quotations from him.

On Death:
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 how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.
Stanford Commencement Adress, 2005

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

On being prepared for the worst:
Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith.

On What happened when he tried to sell his technology to 'then' leaders:
So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll come work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, 'Hey, we don't need you. You haven't got through college yet.'

Jobs on Jobs:
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on


On Fear of Failure:
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.

On How the market trend changes:
You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new.

On what he is proud about:
I'm as proud of what we don't do as I am of what we do.

On how to live:
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 other's 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.