In 2005, then Apple CEO and Pixar co-founder Steve Jobs gave what is arguably one of the most popular commencement speeches of all time.
The 15-minute long speech told before a crowd of Standford University graduates enumerated three stories that mapped out key moments in his life: the time when his biological mother gave him up for adoption in hopes that he would be adopted by parents who graduated college; when he dropped out of college 17 years later to build Apple from his parents garage at age 20; and that day in 2003 when his doctor diagnosed him with a rare form of pancreatic cancer. His main message that day was to “find what you love" and "don’t settle.”
Three years later, the video was posted by Standford University on Youtube, and has since garnered more than six million hits. Read the complete text of Steve Jobs’ commencement address here.
Steve Jobs died at the age of 56 after a public battle with a rare form of pancreatic cancer and other health issues on October 5.
Steve Jobs' commencement address, Stanford University, 2005
