In what is one of the most memorable "borrowed" quotes of Steve Jobs, this piece of wisdom echoes true across the ages. It is well suited to rekindle our interest and appreciation for it with this brief walkthrough, possibly highlighting less obvious aspects of its meaning, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Apple.
No one wants to be proven wrong. It has negative effects for our psychology and our track record. Failing in silence seems preferable; at least you don't have to face the public ridicule in shame. But why did we have to be right in the first place? Just because, we know we had to be. Because people were counting on us and we put all this effort into being confident and convincing everyone that we were right... We may have made empty promises and we don't want to face the consequences. That is the source of this fear.
Lets take a step back, back when we were kids. Everyone that enjoys their profession has a memory when they discovered that this is what they like to do. I remember how amazed I was with the discovery that I can command a computer to do things and since then I've been hooked. Before all the requirements and the demands of our profession we had that urge, the raw power that drove us to do more. We didn't know what would come out of it and how it would affect our lives and our surroundings. But we knew that we weren't satisfied. We knew, we wanted more.
At its core the saying is simple: Stay hungry can be interpreted as "stay eager", like when we had that initial spark in our beginnings; and stay foolish is of course to take risks. Not to be conservative and always take the safe option. But all this may be easier said than done. How do you keep that initial spark alive and how do you take risks, when we are all so afraid of the consequences...
Push yourself to try new things and be ready to step out of your comfort zone. That's a sure way to spur excitement and hopefully entice your interest. Dare to be unconventional and make decisions that would surprise the people most familiar to you. Some might indeed call you foolish but all you need to do is humbly beg to differ.
A few generations back grownups got to pretend they knew everything and that there was nothing they hadn't seen or heard before. That might've been true to some degree but it has no relation with our current reality. Always connected is the new norm and if you feel you're out of it, the world will just pass you by. Being curious and willing to learn new things can make it a pleasure to live in an ever-changing society. This attitude is the key to unlock the eagerness to do more, do better and achieve greatness. Curiosity is one of the driving forces of intelligence.
Resting on your laurels and living a care-free life may be the ideal reality for some, but that is not the path we are outlining here. Never being satisfied pushes you to new heights as it instills the will to do something unique or be willing to keep trying the things people say cannot be done. Being dissatisfied with what you have and wanting something more can be a good thing as it provides a drive that once controlled will become a powerful tool in our possession.
Feeling out of control is not a pleasant experience for most but every now and then it just feels right to throw caution to the wind and take a "stupid" risk. Have faith that there are forces beyond you that guide us and create what we call the "natural state" of things. It may seem foolish to act without thinking and maybe taking unnecessary risks. But many discoveries were "happy accidents" and Providence has a way of guiding us all. After all, you only live once, so make it count and go after what you want, no matter what.
A phrase that purposefully uses negative adjectives in a positive way creates a contrast suitable of a catch phrase. Even so, it is a thoughtful insight, inviting us to stay true to our ourselves, to our inner child. Because we are humans and as humans we look high. How appropriate is it to fulfill our destiny by aiming at the sky.