According to Fortune magazine, he is considered one of Silicon Valley’s leading egomaniacs, so Apple boss Steve Jobs is never short of a quote or two.

Here are my pick of the best Job quotes, as he ponders life, death, Microsoft and plenty more…

1. “Unfortunately, people are not rebelling against Microsoft. They don’t know any better.”
 – Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1994.

2. “The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don’t mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don’t think of original ideas, and they don’t bring much culture into their products.”
– Interviewed in 1996 documentary Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires.

3. “I am saddened, not by Microsoft’s success — I have no problem with their success. They’ve earned their success, for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third-rate products.”
 – More from the Triumph of Nerds documentary.

4. “I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He’d be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.”
 -On his Microsoft rival, Bill Gates.

5. “The products suck! There’s no sex in them anymore!”
 – Speaking to BusinessWeek about Apple products, shortly before his return to the company.

6. “It will go down in history as a turning point for the music industry. This is landmark stuff. I can’t overestimate it!”
 – Discussing the iPod just after its release. Over 200 million have been sold since its launch.

7. “Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything. It’s very fortunate if you can work on just one of these in your career… Apple’s been very fortunate in that it’s introduced a few of these.”
 – At the launch of the iPhone.

8. “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.”
 – In philosophical mood at the Stanford University Commencement Address in 2005.

9. “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.”
 – More reflections from the Stanford University Commencement Address.

10. “Everyone wants a MacBook Pro because they are so bitchin’.”
 – Short and to the point. At an Apple shareholder meeting.

There’s plenty more to chose from, so let me know if I’ve left any out. What’s your favourite Jobs quote?

Thanks to Wikiquote for the inspiration.

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