Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN returns to it for motivation and perspective, and quotes it constantly, especially the connect-the-dots and remembering-death passages.
What it is
Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford commencement address, told through three stories: connecting the dots, love and loss, and death. It includes the calligraphy class and the 'stay hungry, stay foolish' close.
Recommended by 9 HN commenters across 8 different months, 2009 to 2023.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec bayer_rggb · 2016-12 · on “Ask HN: What are inspirational talks you watched which motivates you?”
Came here to post this Larry Smith link :) Even though Jobs gets some hate on HN, these interviews/speeches have never failed to inspire me. If you don't ask, you don't get - [LINK] On a very formulaic life - [LINK] (I couldn't find one without the bad bg music) Stay hungry, stay foolish - [this video] I do realise, on some levels, he was not a good person, or atleast came off as an ass, but listening to these interviews and speeches, I feel I can relate to him and his struggles.
Strong rec al_borland · 2022-06 · on “You have only so much time – are you using it right?”
This was from the commencement speech he gave at Sanford (starts at about 9:10). Not originally his quite, he was paraphrasing something he heard. Great speech, very worth watching for those who haven’t seen it. [this video]
Strong rec modernerd · 2023-02 · on “Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?”
“…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. 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.” - Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address [this video]
Recommends randy · 2009-04 · on “J.K. Rowling: The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination”
An oldie but a great speech (old HN discussion here: [LINK] ). For anyone who's interested, here are some other extraordinary commencement speeches: Steve Jobs: [this video] Bill Watterson: [LINK] David Foster Wallace: [LINK] There is a lot of good advice and numerous great sound-bytes from all of these; but one of my personal favorites comes from Bill Watterson, who makes a point that I feel often gets overlooked at HN in our relentless pursuit of success: Creating a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul is a rare achievement. In a culture that relentlessly promotes avarice and excess as the good life, a person happy doing his own work is usually considered an eccentric, if not
Recommends mesuvash · 2011-04 · on “Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.”
Watch these videos [LINK] [this video] [LINK] I do it whenever i lack motivation. It helps me a lot, I hope it will help you in same way. And you if you really think you want to take a break, Come to Nepal, Its a nice place to be. However its landlocked so you wont find beaches.
Recommends stiff · 2014-01 · on “Ask HN: What are the most inspirational blog posts you've ever read?”
Mostly not blog posts, but for the last years I tend to revisit the same resources over and over again for inspiration: - "You and your research" by Hamming, and his video lectures which expand on topics in the original talk: [LINK] [LINK] - "On teaching mathematics" by V. I. Arnold: [LINK] - "Undergraduation" by Paul Graham [LINK] - "Learn and relearn your field", and many others in the same category, by Terrence Tao [LINK] - Steve Jobs Stanford commencement address: [this video] - All articles on programming by Peter Norvig: [LINK]
Recommends staunch · 2015-12 · on “Ask HN: Is 24 too late to start life?”
You're smart, healthy, and 24 years old? There are a lot of older "successful people" that would trade everything they have to be you. Motivation is based on momentum. You're at a standstill now, so you'll have to build up that momentum. Start off with small challenges (sleep, exercise, diet, or whatever) and then take on your big goals once you've got some speed. You may also find Steve Jobs' speech helpful, as a reminder that even people like him were just as confused at times. [this video]
Recommends endorphine · 2022-06 · on “Life is not short”
I watched this speech some 10 years ago and that quote has stuck with me. And particularly the subsequent sentence: "It (death) clears out the old, to make way for the new." This is from Steve Jobs' Stanford 2005 commencement address - [this video] (at 12:03)