How to Live Before You Die

Summary of How to Live Before You Die

How to Live Before You Die is an inspirational speech delivered by Steve Jobs at Stanford University. In this speech, he shares three important stories from his life to guide young people on how to live a meaningful life.

In the first story, Steve Jobs talks about connecting the dots. He explains that we cannot understand the meaning of our experiences while moving forward in life. Only by looking back can we see how failures and struggles help shape our future. He encourages people to trust their inner voice, destiny, and life.

In the second story, he speaks about love and loss. Jobs shares how he was fired from his own company but did not give up. Instead, he followed his passion and started again. He believes that loving what we do is the key to doing great work and achieving success. He advises people not to settle and to continue searching until they find what they truly love.

In the final story, Steve Jobs talks about death. He says that death is a reminder that life is short and precious. It teaches us to live honestly and follow our own dreams instead of living someone else’s life. He ends his speech with the powerful message “Stay hungry, stay foolish,” encouraging people to remain curious, ambitious, and fearless.

Overall, the lesson teaches students to learn from failure, follow their passion, think differently, and live life with purpose before it ends.

How to Live Before You Die Exercise

Understanding the Text

Answer the following questions.

a. What is the story about Steve Jobs’ birth?
Steve Jobs was born to an unmarried college graduate student. During her pregnancy, she decided to give her baby for adoption. She wanted her child to be adopted by a well educated family. At first, a lawyer’s family agreed to adopt him, but after his birth, they changed their decision because they wanted a girl. Later, a mechanic named Paul Jobs and his wife Clara Jobs adopted Steve Jobs. They promised his biological mother that they would send him to college in the future.

b. What does he mean when he says, “you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards”?
By this statement, Steve Jobs means that we cannot understand the meaning of our life events while they are happening. Success and failure become meaningful only when we look back at our past experiences. Life is full of uncertainty, and everyone faces failure at some point.
Steve Jobs also faced many failures in his life. He was rejected in relationships and faced career problems. He wasted several years without proper support. However, he learned from his failures and finally became successful. This proves that failures help us grow, and one day all our experiences connect to bring success in life.

c. What happened when Steve Jobs turned 30?
When Steve Jobs turned 30, he was fired from his own company by the board of directors. This was one of the biggest failures of his life.

d. Jobs contends that you need to love what you do in order to be great at it. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Yes, I agree with his view. To achieve greatness, a person must love the work they do. Success requires hard work, patience, and dedication. When we love our work, we do not give up easily and continue to work even during difficult times. This passion helps us achieve success.

e. Is death really life’s greatest invention?
Yes, death is life’s greatest invention because it is unavoidable. No one can live forever. Death reminds us that life is limited and valuable. Instead of fearing death, we should focus on living a meaningful life and doing something great while we are alive. Death encourages people to use their time wisely and live with purpose.

Reference to the Context

a. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

“We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.”

i. Who was the baby boy?
The baby boy was Steve Jobs.

ii. What does ‘do you want him?’ mean?
The phrase ‘do you want him?’ refers to the question asked about adopting the baby. It was related to the adoption of Steve Jobs by Paul Jobs and Clara Jobs, who were waiting to adopt a child.

iii. Who does ‘they’ refer to?
The word ‘they’ refers to Paul Jobs and his wife Clara Jobs.

b. Explain the following lines:

i. “You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.”
This line was spoken by Steve Jobs in his speech at Stanford University. Through this line, he advises people to trust themselves and have faith in life. He says that self belief is very important because no one else will motivate us all the time. If we trust our inner feelings and believe in our path, we can move forward and achieve success.

ii. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
By this line, the speaker means that human life is short and precious. We should not follow other people’s ideas or live according to their expectations. Doing so may misguide us. Instead, we should listen to our inner voice, use our time wisely, and try to become what we truly want to be.

c. What does he mean by “don’t settle”?

By “don’t settle,” Steve Jobs means that we should not accept less than what we truly desire. We should not stop trying until we achieve our goal. Instead of only chasing success, we should focus on doing our work with excellence. When we aim for excellence, success naturally follows.

d. Which style of speech is used by the speaker to persuade the audience?

The speaker uses a personal and informal style of speech. His speech is narrative in nature because he shares real life stories. The language is simple and clear, and it is based on motivation and encouragement. This style helps him connect easily with the audience.

e. It is not easy to motivate others. How do you think Steve Jobs’ speech is so inspiring?

Steve Jobs’ speech is inspiring because it is emotional, honest, and motivating. He shares real life experiences full of struggle and sacrifice. Each story from his life shows how he faced difficulties and still moved forward. His speech motivates people from all backgrounds, especially middle class students, as his life story is relatable and realistic.

f. Why do you think Steve Jobs used the personal narrative storytelling technique in his speech? What influence does it have on the audience?

Steve Jobs used personal storytelling to motivate the audience. By sharing his struggles, failures, and experiences, he makes his speech more meaningful and believable. This technique creates a strong positive influence on the audience and helps them understand what it truly takes to achieve success in life.

Reference Beyond the Text

a. One of Steve Jobs’ mottos was “Think differently.” Can this make a person succeed in life? What challenges are there in thinking differently?

Yes, thinking differently can surely help a person succeed in life. People who think differently are able to find new ideas, new solutions, and new paths to success. If we only follow the paths already taken by others, it becomes difficult to stand out or achieve something special. Thinking differently helps a person become creative, confident, and innovative.

However, thinking differently is not easy. Society often resists change, and people who think differently are sometimes criticized or misunderstood. Others may call them foolish, unrealistic, or strange. Such people may face rejection, failure, and lack of support in the beginning. To overcome these challenges, a person must have strong self belief, patience, and courage. Steve Jobs himself faced many failures and criticism, but his different way of thinking helped him change the world. Therefore, thinking differently can lead to success if one remains confident and determined.

b. What does the slogan “Stay hungry; stay foolish” mean to you?

The slogan “Stay hungry; stay foolish” gives a strong message to always remain eager to learn and grow in life. “Stay hungry” means we should never be satisfied with what we have achieved and should always aim higher. It encourages us to keep working hard, improving ourselves, and chasing our dreams.

“Stay foolish” means we should not be afraid to take risks or try new things. Sometimes people hesitate to try something new because they fear failure or criticism. This slogan teaches us to be brave, curious, and open to new ideas. For me, this slogan means living life with passion, courage, and a desire to continuously learn and improve.

c. What does it mean to be a visionary? What makes Steve Jobs different from a fortune teller?

Being a visionary means having the ability to imagine a better future and working hard to make that vision a reality. A visionary does not just dream but also takes action to bring change. Visionaries guide society by introducing new ideas, innovations, and ways of thinking.

Steve Jobs was different from a fortune teller because a fortune teller only predicts what might happen in the future, while Jobs actively shaped the future through his ideas and hard work. He did not wait for change to happen but created change himself. Visionaries like Jobs think not only about personal success but also about improving society. They inspire others, lead by example, and leave a lasting impact on the world.