Assignment #4 Steve Jobs’ 2005 Standford Commencement Address

The commencement address is one of the most venerable and respectable traditions of American academia, especially at elite universities such as Stanford and Harvard. In May and June every year, as usual, many universities invite successful people to share their inspirational stories.

Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address at Stanford University is regarded as the best  commencement speech of all time. In the speech, Jobs urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself. His speech followed three stories from his life: one, in which he tells an anecdote about dropping out of college; another, about the lessons he learned from being fired by Apple in 1985; and lastly, his reflections on death. By using humor, personal experiences and reflections throughout his life along with many rhetorical devices, he caught  the listeners’ attention.

Each of his stories had a theme that resonates with just about everyone who seeks meaning in their lives and their career: Do what you love. Following are my favorite sentences from Jobs’ speech that I want to share with you:

“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,” 

I think Jobs’ speech has made me realize there are a lot of things we can’t control, so we have to live every day as if it was our last. The speech also seems to tell me that if  there is something I really love, just follow my heart and do it! This is not just a speech but a philosophy of life for me. Thank you for this, Steve Jobs. A great speech can give people courage they didn’t know they had. Jobs’ speech has been inspiring people for a decade. Even now, whenever people feel confused about their lives or lack of motivation, the speech gives them hope and the reason to fight.