Children Quote by Walter Isaacson
““Despite his new fame and fortune, he still fancied himself a child of the counterculture. On a visit to a Stanford class, he took off his Wilkes Bashford blazer and his shoes, perched on top of a table, and crossed his legs into a lotus position. The students asked questions, such as when Apple’s stock price would rise, which Jobs brushed off. Instead he spoke of his passion for future products, such as someday making a computer as small as a book. When the business questions tapered off, Jobs turned the tables on the well-groomed students. “How many of you are virgins?” he asked. There were nervous giggles. “How many of you have taken LSD?” More nervous laughter, and only one or two hands went up. Later Jobs would complain about the new generation of kids, who seemed to him more materialistic and careerist than his own. “When I went to school, it was right after the sixties and before this general wave of practical purposefulness had set in,” he said. “Now students aren’t even thinking in idealistic terms, or at least nowhere near as much.” His generation, he said, was different. “The idealistic wind of the sixties is still at our backs, though, and most of the people I know who are my age have that ingrained in them forever.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, 2011
Jobs juxtaposed his countercultural roots with his corporate role, highlighting a tension between idealism and materialism in tech leadership.
In simple terms: He mixed youthful rebellion with business success.
Balance idealism with practicality.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- tech conferences
- entrepreneurial mentoring
- student lectures
- company culture discussions
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can leaders maintain idealism while meeting market demands?
- What role does nostalgia play in shaping tech culture?
His idealistic view may overlook practical constraints of scaling businesses.