--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know you have 1000 great ideas for…" description: "\"I know you have 1000 great ideas for things that iTunes could do. And we have 1000 more. But innovation is not about saying \"yes\" to everything. It's a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/steve-jobs-307_crucial_i-know-you-have-1000-great-ideas-for-thi_1323824.jpg" --- # I know you have 1000 great ideas for things that iTunes… ![“I know you have 1000 great ideas for things that iTunes could do. And we have 1000 more. But innovation is not about saying "yes" to everything. It's about saying "no" to all but the most crucial features.” quote by Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/steve-jobs-307_crucial_i-know-you-have-1000-great-ideas-for-thi_1323824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/steve-jobs-307_crucial_i-know-you-have-1000-great-ideas-for-thi_1323824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/steve-jobs-307_crucial_i-know-you-have-1000-great-ideas-for-thi_1323824.jpg) > “I know you have 1000 great ideas for things that iTunes could do. And we have 1000 more. But innovation is not about saying "yes" to everything. It's about saying "no" to all but the most crucial features.” [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Innovation demands selective focus, not blanket acceptance. **In simple terms:** Innovation is about saying no. Key Takeaway Prioritize essential ideas. Themes innovation focus prioritization Mood analytical determined Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - startup development - feature planning - team management Key Concepts product design strategic thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what to reject? - What criteria define “crucial” features? A Different Perspective Saying no may miss unexpected opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-idea/) [Great ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-ideas/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Saying yes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-yes/) [Simplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplicity/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [“Steve Jobs gave a small private presentation about the iTunes Music Store to some independent record label people. My favorite line of the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/steve-jobs-gave-a-small-private-presentation-about-the-itunes-music/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [Innovation is saying 'no' to 1,000 things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/innovation-is-saying-no-to-1-000-things/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I'm as proud of many of the things we haven't done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to a thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-m-as-proud-of-many-of-the-things-we-haven-t-done-as-the-things-we/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/people-think-focus-means-saying-yes-to-the-thing-you-ve-got-to-focus/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [ Traditionally, when we lived here \[in Portland\], we have a record player in the living room, and there's lots of stuff playing, all different… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/traditionally-when-we-lived-here-in-portland-we-have-a-record-player/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'd been an artist since I was 17 and I was used to just putting things on iTunes. So I was like, I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-nesbitt/i-d-been-an-artist-since-i-was-17-and-i-was-used-to-just-putting/) [Nina Nesbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-nesbitt/) > [“Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It's about saying NO to all but the most crucial features.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/innovation-is-not-about-saying-yes-to-everything-it-s-about-saying-no/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“It's like giving a glass of ice water to somebody in hell" -- about iTunes on Windows computers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-like-giving-a-glass-of-ice-water-to-somebody-in-hell-about/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [We had the hardware expertise, the industrial design expertise and the software expertise, including iTunes. One of the biggest insights we have was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/we-had-the-hardware-expertise-the-industrial-design-expertise-and-the/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Innovation means saying 'no' to a thousand things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/innovation-means-saying-no-to-a-thousand-things/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Focusing is all about saying no](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/focusing-is-all-about-saying-no/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Focus is about saying, No. And the result of that focus is going to be some really great products where the total is much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/focus-is-about-saying-no-and-the-result-of-that-focus-is-going-to-be/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Focusing is about saying No.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/focusing-is-about-saying-no/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Focus does not mean saying yes, it means saying no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/focus-does-not-mean-saying-yes-it-means-saying-no/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-comes-from-saying-no-to-1-000-things-to-make-sure-we-don-t-get-on/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## More by Steve Jobs > [Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/who-wants-a-stylus-you-have-to-get-em-and-put-em-away-and-you-lose-em/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I admire Mark Zuckerberg... for not selling out, for wanting to make a company. I admire that a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-admire-mark-zuckerberg-for-not-selling-out-for-wanting-to-make-a/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [If you want to hire great people and have them stay, you have to be run by ideas, not hierarchy. The best ideas have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-you-want-to-hire-great-people-and-have-them-stay-you-have-to-be/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/everything-around-you-that-you-call-life-was-made-up-by-people-that/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It's about saying NO to all but the most crucial features.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/innovation-is-not-about-saying-yes-to-everything-it-s-about-saying-no/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/when-you-first-start-off-trying-to-solve-a-problem-the-first/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I'm not dismissing the value of higher education; I'm simply saying it comes at the expense of experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-m-not-dismissing-the-value-of-higher-education-i-m-simply-saying-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“To YoYo Ma: "You playing is the best argument I've ever heard for the existence of God, because I don't really believe a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/to-yoyo-ma-you-playing-is-the-best-argument-i-ve-ever-heard-for-the/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The most important thing is a person. A person who incites your curiosity and feeds your curiosity; and machines cannot do that in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-most-important-thing-is-a-person-a-person-who-incites-your/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The tragedy is that Dell didn't win it - we lost it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-tragedy-is-that-dell-didn-t-win-it-we-lost-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“I think great artists and great engineers are similar, in that they both have a desire to express themselves. In fact some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-think-great-artists-and-great-engineers-are-similar-in-that-they/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It's rare that you see an artist in his 30s or 40s able to really contribute something amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-rare-that-you-see-an-artist-in-his-30s-or-40s-able-to-really/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [We're going to be able to ask our computers to monitor things for us, and when certain conditions happen, are triggered, the computers will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/we-re-going-to-be-able-to-ask-our-computers-to-monitor-things-for-us/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) [Explore all 695 Steve Jobs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## More Crucial quotes > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Changing is not just changing the things outside of us. 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You'll learn that you're here to use this gift to shine light on the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/you-ll-realize-the-transformation-is-not-for-you-alone-you-ll-learn/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [As you get older, every chance to win a championship is more crucial, because you are going to have less and less of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-west/as-you-get-older-every-chance-to-win-a-championship-is-more-crucial/) [Jerry West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-west/) > [It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/it-is-the-client-who-knows-what-hurts-what-directions-to-go-what/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [I promise you that there are a lot of people involved in various kinds of retail activities who think they have a crucial role…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/i-promise-you-that-there-are-a-lot-of-people-involved-in-various/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [Though the world may often appear to be more charitable than the church, it is crucial to remember that, for the church, the care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-the-world-may-often-appear-to-be-more-charitable-than-the/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [At all crucial moments in our lives we want to speak without knowing what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/at-all-crucial-moments-in-our-lives-we-want-to-speak-without-knowing/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [In a movie like this, the relationship between the two guys is crucial. It sinks or swims on how these two guys are together.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-murphy/in-a-movie-like-this-the-relationship-between-the-two-guys-is-crucial/) [Eddie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-murphy/) > [The second part of the New Right's policy package has been the belief that free-market solutions are always best. 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