---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I sometimes joke that when I die, my…"
description: "\"I sometimes joke that when I die, my tombstone will say, 'Here lies the guy who hired Jonathan Ive,'\" — Robert Brunner"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/robert-brunner-65906_dies_i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tomb_92965.png"
---

#  I sometimes joke that when I die, my tombstone will say…

![“I sometimes joke that when I die, my tombstone will say, 'Here lies the guy who hired Jonathan Ive,'” quote by Robert Brunner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/robert-brunner-65906_dies_i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tomb_92965.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/robert-brunner-65906_dies_i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tomb_92965.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/robert-brunner-65906_dies_i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tomb_92965.png)

> “I sometimes joke that when I die, my tombstone will say, 'Here lies the guy who hired Jonathan Ive,'”

Robert Brunner

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A self‑deprecating nod to the influence of design leadership, implying his legacy will be remembered through the iconic work of Jonathan Ive.

**In simple terms:** Humorous legacy claim

Key Takeaway

Design impact defines reputation

Themes

legacy design humor humility

Mood

wry reflective

Type

humor reflection

When to use this quote

- career retrospectives
- industry obituaries

Key Concepts

design leadership personal branding

Practical Applications

- motivational speaking
- branding narratives

Questions to Reflect On

- How does a leader’s influence persist beyond their own work?
- What role does humor play in self‑assessment?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/)

## Related quotes

> [On my tombstone it will say, 'At last, a day off.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-walsh/on-my-tombstone-it-will-say-at-last-a-day-off/)

[Bradley Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-walsh/)

> [“It is brutal. Only I never could see the sense in having folks look at your tombstone and say, 'He was a man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/it-is-brutal-only-i-never-could-see-the-sense-in-having-folks-look-at/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [I know what I'm having 'em put on my tombstone: 'I have nothing more to say'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/i-know-what-i-m-having-em-put-on-my-tombstone-i-have-nothing-more-to/)

[Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/)

> [On my tombstone it will say: 'I tried everything - nothing was easy.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/on-my-tombstone-it-will-say-i-tried-everything-nothing-was-easy/)

[Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/)

> [I want my tombstone to say She Lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/i-want-my-tombstone-to-say-she-lived/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [When I die I want my tombstone to say 'BRB'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-die-i-want-my-tombstone-to-say-brb/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If I have a tombstone when it's all over, it will say, 'He tried to connect.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/if-i-have-a-tombstone-when-it-s-all-over-it-will-say-he-tried-to/)

[Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/)

> [I don't want my tombstone to say actress. I want it to say human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/i-don-t-want-my-tombstone-to-say-actress-i-want-it-to-say-human-being/)

[Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/)

> [When I go, if there's a tombstone it will say, She doesn't give in. She doesn't give up. And she never takes no for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-roberts/when-i-go-if-there-s-a-tombstone-it-will-say-she-doesn-t-give-in-she/)

[Doris Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-roberts/)

> [I want my tombstone to say that I won the Champions League with Barca.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quique-setien/i-want-my-tombstone-to-say-that-i-won-the-champions-league-with-barca/)

[Quique Setien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quique-setien/)

> [“Interviewer: What do you want your tombstone to say? Reply: I was hoping for a pyramid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eldon-farrell/interviewer-what-do-you-want-your-tombstone-to-say-reply-i-was-hoping/)

Eldon Farrell

> [We think of mortality so little these days... I thought of the stern Victorian determination to keep death in mind, the uncompromising tombstones. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/we-think-of-mortality-so-little-these-days-i-thought-of-the-stern/)

[Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/)

> [Nothing sells tombstones like a Girl Scout in uniform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-m-appel/nothing-sells-tombstones-like-a-girl-scout-in-uniform/)

[Jacob M. Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-m-appel/)

> [I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say 'figment.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-always-thought-i-d-like-my-own-tombstone-to-be-blank-no-epitaph-and/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [The odor of bowel wind is known to every human, but the fragrance of book glue has crossed only a fraction of mortal nostrils.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-odor-of-bowel-wind-is-known-to-every-human-but-the-fragrance-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Robert Brunner

> [Five years ago, the heroes were technologists. Today, the heroes are designers building out a user experience. You can have the most amazing technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brunner/five-years-ago-the-heroes-were-technologists-today-the-heroes-are/)

Robert Brunner

> [I don't believe a team can lead itself. I'm a big believer in vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brunner/i-don-t-believe-a-team-can-lead-itself-i-m-a-big-believer-in-vision/)

Robert Brunner

> [It's a gut feeling. And when two people have the same gut feeling, you have a brand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brunner/it-s-a-gut-feeling-and-when-two-people-have-the-same-gut-feeling-you/)

Robert Brunner

Explore all 4 Robert Brunner quotes

## More Dies quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [Don't even think for a moment that you are not going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/don-t-even-think-for-a-moment-that-you-are-not-going-to-die/)

[Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/)

[Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/)

> [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/)

[Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/)

> [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/)

[Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/)

> [“When he stops giving you butterflies, Love dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-blanchard/when-he-stops-giving-you-butterflies-love-dies/)

Michelle Blanchard

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-want-to-just-die-a-normal-death-i-wanna-be-killed-twice/)

[Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/)

> [My father thrives on fear. You know that prayer If I should die before I wake? I had sheets that said that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-thrives-on-fear-you-know-that-prayer-if-i-should-die-before/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/)

[Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/)

> [If you’re going to die on screen, you’ve got to be strong and in good health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/if-you-re-going-to-die-on-screen-you-ve-got-to-be-strong-and-in-good/)

[Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/)

Browse all 7,484 Dies quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I sometimes joke that when I die, my tombstone will say, 'Here lies the guy who hired Jonathan Ive,'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Brunner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brunner/i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tombstone-will-say-here-lies-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brunner/i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tombstone-will-say-here-lies-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/robert-brunner-65906_dies_i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tomb_92965.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/robert-brunner-65906_dies_i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tomb_92965.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/robert-brunner-65906_dies_i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tomb_92965.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I sometimes joke that when I die, my tombstone will say, 'Here lies the guy who hired Jonathan Ive,'” — Robert Brunner",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Robert Brunner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brunner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I sometimes joke that when I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brunner/i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tombstone-will-say-here-lies-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brunner/i-sometimes-joke-that-when-i-die-my-tombstone-will-say-here-lies-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
