--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Strategy is figuring out what not to do." description: "\"Strategy is figuring out what not to do.\" — Steve Jobs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/steve-jobs-307_figuring_strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do_394976.jpg" --- # Strategy is figuring out what not to do. ![“Strategy is figuring out what not to do.” quote by Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/steve-jobs-307_figuring_strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do_394976.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/steve-jobs-307_figuring_strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do_394976.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/steve-jobs-307_figuring_strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do_394976.jpg) > “Strategy is figuring out what not to do.” [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. Effective strategy focuses on eliminating unnecessary actions to concentrate on what truly matters. **In simple terms:** Strategy is about saying no. Key Takeaway Prioritize by removing the non‑essential. Themes focus decision‑making prioritization Mood inspirational reflective Type leadership business When to use this quote - product development - career planning - daily task lists Key Concepts minimalism strategic planning Questions to Reflect On - What could you stop doing to improve? - Are you risking loss by cutting too much? A Different Perspective Over‑eliminating can miss hidden opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Figuring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figuring/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Strategy Figuring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy-figuring-1778381/) ## Related quotes > [“How can we walk away from requirements that we know to be true to pursue something that we think will help?” It turns out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/how-can-we-walk-away-from-requirements-that-we-know-to-be-true-to/) [Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/) > [Part of strategy is figuring out what you're good at, figuring out what you're not good at, and then getting yourself in position to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/part-of-strategy-is-figuring-out-what-you-re-good-at-figuring-out/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [It turns out that is exactly what product strategy is all about—figuring out the right product is the innovator’s job, not the customer’s job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/it-turns-out-that-is-exactly-what-product-strategy-is-all-about/) [Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/) > [To me that's what Jobs was about. He said at the end of the movie, 'When you realize that the world was created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-michael-stern/to-me-that-s-what-jobs-was-about-he-said-at-the-end-of-the-movie-when/) [Joshua Michael Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-michael-stern/) > [The idea would be in my mind - and I know it sounds strange - is that the most important advances in medicine would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-soon-shiong/the-idea-would-be-in-my-mind-and-i-know-it-sounds-strange-is-that-the/) [Patrick Soon-Shiong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-soon-shiong/) > [That's a part of success: figuring out what success means to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/that-s-a-part-of-success-figuring-out-what-success-means-to-you/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [For me the trickiest thing is figuring out the spin and loft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-schauffele/for-me-the-trickiest-thing-is-figuring-out-the-spin-and-loft/) [Xander Schauffele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-schauffele/) > [I am private because I'm still figuring things out. I'm young! I'm making it up as I go!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-williams/i-am-private-because-i-m-still-figuring-things-out-i-m-young-i-m/) [Allison Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-williams/) > [More attention and thought goes into naming a character in 'Call Of Duty' than all the work that can go into certain movies. Blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gaghan/more-attention-and-thought-goes-into-naming-a-character-in-call-of/) [Stephen Gaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gaghan/) > [The first sort of big present I remember getting from Santa Claus was quite a small telescope that I remember going into our backyard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/the-first-sort-of-big-present-i-remember-getting-from-santa-claus-was/) [Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/) > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [What's the fun in approaching something closed-minded? I'm very specific; if dialogue is too on-the-nose, or there's a lot of telling and not showing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rothhaar/what-s-the-fun-in-approaching-something-closed-minded-i-m-very/) [Will Rothhaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rothhaar/) > [“I don't know for sure where I'm going to end up. But I know who I love. And I'm figuring out that might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/i-don-t-know-for-sure-where-i-m-going-to-end-up-but-i-know-who-i-love/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [I've just grown up a lot and started to encounter some of the big decisions of life in terms of what career I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-norris/i-ve-just-grown-up-a-lot-and-started-to-encounter-some-of-the-big/) [Lee Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-norris/) > [It's strange to play outdoors, especially in the daytime. But we're figuring it out. The rules are different for festival shows - how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dost/it-s-strange-to-play-outdoors-especially-in-the-daytime-but-we-re/) [Andrew Dost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dost/) ## 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 Figuring quotes > [It's strange to play outdoors, especially in the daytime. But we're figuring it out. The rules are different for festival shows - how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dost/it-s-strange-to-play-outdoors-especially-in-the-daytime-but-we-re/) [Andrew Dost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dost/) > [I've just grown up a lot and started to encounter some of the big decisions of life in terms of what career I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-norris/i-ve-just-grown-up-a-lot-and-started-to-encounter-some-of-the-big/) [Lee Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-norris/) > [“I don't know for sure where I'm going to end up. But I know who I love. And I'm figuring out that might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/i-don-t-know-for-sure-where-i-m-going-to-end-up-but-i-know-who-i-love/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [What's the fun in approaching something closed-minded? I'm very specific; if dialogue is too on-the-nose, or there's a lot of telling and not showing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rothhaar/what-s-the-fun-in-approaching-something-closed-minded-i-m-very/) [Will Rothhaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rothhaar/) > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [The first sort of big present I remember getting from Santa Claus was quite a small telescope that I remember going into our backyard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/the-first-sort-of-big-present-i-remember-getting-from-santa-claus-was/) [Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/) > [More attention and thought goes into naming a character in 'Call Of Duty' than all the work that can go into certain movies. Blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gaghan/more-attention-and-thought-goes-into-naming-a-character-in-call-of/) [Stephen Gaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gaghan/) > [I am private because I'm still figuring things out. I'm young! I'm making it up as I go!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-williams/i-am-private-because-i-m-still-figuring-things-out-i-m-young-i-m/) [Allison Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-williams/) > [For me the trickiest thing is figuring out the spin and loft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-schauffele/for-me-the-trickiest-thing-is-figuring-out-the-spin-and-loft/) [Xander Schauffele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-schauffele/) > [That's a part of success: figuring out what success means to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/that-s-a-part-of-success-figuring-out-what-success-means-to-you/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [The idea would be in my mind - and I know it sounds strange - is that the most important advances in medicine would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-soon-shiong/the-idea-would-be-in-my-mind-and-i-know-it-sounds-strange-is-that-the/) [Patrick Soon-Shiong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-soon-shiong/) > [To me that's what Jobs was about. He said at the end of the movie, 'When you realize that the world was created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-michael-stern/to-me-that-s-what-jobs-was-about-he-said-at-the-end-of-the-movie-when/) [Joshua Michael Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-michael-stern/) > [Because I didn't have much money, I bought a small shop that fit my budget. The previous six owners had closed their business in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/do-won-chang/because-i-didn-t-have-much-money-i-bought-a-small-shop-that-fit-my/) [Do Won Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/do-won-chang/) > [All of us, as bodies, are in the active position of figuring out how to live with and against the constructions - or norms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/all-of-us-as-bodies-are-in-the-active-position-of-figuring-out-how-to/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [Just trying to live our lives and figuring out how to turn that into art. It's tough to say that the art was premeditated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-neistat/just-trying-to-live-our-lives-and-figuring-out-how-to-turn-that-into/) [Casey Neistat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-neistat/) [Browse all 135 Figuring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figuring/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Strategy is figuring out what not to do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steve Jobs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Figuring" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/steve-jobs-307_figuring_strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do_394976.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/steve-jobs-307_figuring_strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do_394976.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/steve-jobs-307_figuring_strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do_394976.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Strategy is figuring out what not to do.” — Steve Jobs", "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": "Steve Jobs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Strategy is figuring out what not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/strategy-is-figuring-out-what-not-to-do/#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 } } ] } ```