Thoughts of an Apple Girl

I've been an Apple girl for a long time, and consider both my first Mac PowerBook, purchased in 2005, and my current MacBook Pro, purchased in 2009, two of my most beloved possessions. An original iPod was the first big purchase I ever made with money from my first post-college job. And I can't imagine living without my iPhone.

It might be weird to be so sentimentally attached to gadgets. In the case of my laptops, I know it's because I do all my writing on them. And in the case of the iPods and iPhone, they're just things that I carry with me and use every single day.

The world lost a true visionary and creative powerhouse yesterday when Steve Jobs passed away. I know I have nothing to say that won't be said better by other people. But Apple and Pixar have both brought me much personal joy for a long time and I am truly saddened by Steve's passing.

In 2005, Steve gave a famous commencement speech at Stanford that you've probably seen floating around, if not before, certainly last night or today. It's a beautiful, inspiring speech. You can watch the whole thing below. But here are my 5 favorite quotes that I think are universal in their appeal and truths.

1. "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."

2. "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."

3. "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. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

4. "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."

5. "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

I just want to add to that the motto of one of Apple's most memorable campaigns: Think Different. It really seems to be the crux of how Steve Jobs chose to live his life.

You'll be missed, Steve.