Quote of the day: Apple founder Steve Jobs — ‘Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice’

US-based technology giant and iPhone maker, Apple's co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Steve Jobs, delivered his commencement address and his famous line to the college students at Stanford University more than 20 years ago.

The world-renowned American entrepreneur and innovator famously said, “Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

Job's quote comes to mind at a time of volatile work culture environments around the world, and people resigning to get away from constant pressure. However, only a few people are aware that this famous quote was part of a bigger address and had a deeper connotation than just words.

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life,” said Steve Jobs.

The creator of the Apple iPhone also told the world through his address that one should not be trapped due to the social dogma, which is something of other people's construct.

Jobs told students not to listen to the opinions (noise) of the world and end up drowning their inner voice in it. People should follow what their heart tells them to do, and everything else is just secondary.

“Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary,” said Jobs during his address.

During his address, he also spoke about the reality of death and how that becomes a motivator for people to live their lives in a proper way. Steve Jobs said that Death is “Life's Change Agent” and one should not let themselves be trapped in others' expectations.

Steve Jobs' famous quote resurfaces amid Anthropic AI safety head Mrinank Sharma's recent resignation from his role, sharing a cryptic social media post focusing on how he seeks to work towards what matters to him the most, his values.

The young American was considered to be an entrepreneur and innovator as he co-founded Apple in 1976 in his parents' garage. However, in 1985, he was removed from the tech giant, and later returned to Apple in 1997, after which he launched revolutionary products like iPhone, iPad, and iMac, among other products, which are still made to date.

In October 2011, Steve Jobs passed away after a long battle due to a rare form of pancreatic cancer.

Although Sharma did not give any specific reason for his decision, he said that the constant pressure forced him to set aside what mattered the most to him, indicating that he may be referring to his values.

“I've repeatedly seen how hard it is to truly let our values govern our actions. I've seen this within myself, within the organisation, where we constantly face pressures to set aside what matters most,” said Sharma in his letter.

Sharma also said that he will now be moving back to the United Kingdom and “become invisible for a period of time.”

The Indian-origin techie also expressed his interest in pursuing a poetry degree and devoting himself to the practice of courageous speech. “I am also excited to deepen my practice of facilitation, coaching, community building, and group work,” he said.