Steve Jobs' 60th birthday: 14 quotes to ponder

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February 24th is the 60th anniversary of Steve Jobs' birth. In order to commemorate him, we have collected some of the most thought-provoking and inspiring quotes.

1. "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."

Remember: You are going to die! That's the only way I know to avoid the trap of worrying about losing! You are already naked! There is no reason not to follow your heart!

2. "It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."

“It’s hard to design a product for a group. A lot of times, people don’t know what they need until you show it to them.”

3. "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."

“Focus and simplicity are one of my mantras. Simplicity is the difficulty of being uncomplicated: you have to work hard to make your thoughts clear enough to make them simple.

4. "You can't 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."

“You can’t connect the dots forward; you can only connect them backward. So you have to believe that the dots will connect somehow in your future. You have to believe in something—your guts, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This method has never let me down, and it has changed my life.”

5. "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. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

“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 good 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. In fact, you’ll know it when you find it. And, like any good relationship, it will get better with each passing year. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

6. "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."

"It's not important to me to be the richest person in the cemetery...It's important to go to bed at night and say we've accomplished something incredible...It's important to me."

7. "I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what's next."

"I think if you do something and it's really good, then you should do something else that's better and don't dwell on it for too long. Think about what the next thing is."

8. "Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."

Getting fired from Apple was the worst thing that ever happened to me. The burden of success was replaced by the briskness of a beginner, not quite sure about anything. It freed me to reenter one of the most creative periods of my life.

9. "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 seventeen, I read a quote to the effect of: "You are most likely to live your life right if you live each day as if it were your last." It made a lasting impression on me, and for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were my last day, would I be willing to do what I am about to do today?" Whenever the answer has been "NO" for too many days in a row, I know something needs to change.

10. "I want to put a ding in the universe."

I want to make a difference in the world.

11. "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

Innovation determines whether you are a leader or a follower.

12. "My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other's kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That's how I see business: Great things in business are never done by one person, they're done by a team of people."

My business model is like the Beatles. Although the four people have their own shortcomings, their cooperation makes them perfect. This is also the way I look at business. Great business is never created by one person alone, it is accomplished by a team.

13. "It's better to be a pirate than join the Navy."

Be a pirate, not a sailor.

14. "Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations."

When you innovate, you’re going to make mistakes. The best thing to do is admit them quickly and then work on improving other ideas.