Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you.
Genuine
Yes. In Steve Jobs, 1994 interview with the Silicon Valley Historical Association, excerpted in Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs in His Own Words, edited by Leslie Berlin (Steve Jobs Archive, 2023), “One More Thing …”.
Checked against Steve Jobs, 1994 interview with the Silicon Valley Historical Association, excerpted in Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs in His Own Words, edited by Leslie Berlin (Steve Jobs Archive, 2023), “One More Thing …”, in a full-text transcription.
- Where
- “One More Thing …”, the closing selection in Make Something Wonderful (2023), credited to Steve, 1994
- Source
- Steve Jobs, 1994 interview with the Silicon Valley Historical Association, excerpted in Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs in His Own Words, edited by Leslie Berlin (Steve Jobs Archive, 2023), “One More Thing …”
- Checked
- In a full-text transcription
Researched by AI. Entry updated 30 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
About this quote
The scene
In the closing selection of the Archive’s book, drawn from a 1994 interview, Jobs argues that the human-made world is not an unchangeable framework. After these sentences he urges the listener to test it, influence it and improve it rather than merely fit into it. The selection is motivational advice about taking an active part in shaping life.
What it means
People built the arrangements and products around us, so other people can change them. The thought is meant to replace passive acceptance with the confidence to make something useful.
Often misread
This is encouragement about the possibility of acting on the world, not evidence that expertise, institutional constraints or differences in ability are unreal.
Topics
Related quotes
- I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together. (not found) Marilyn Monroe
- You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth. (misattributed) William W. Purkey
- We can’t choose where we come from, but we can choose where we go from there. (paraphrase) Stephen Chbosky
- When you know better, you do better. Maya Angelou
- Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.
Sources
Cite it
Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs, 1994 interview with the Silicon Valley Historical Association, excerpted in Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs in His Own Words, edited by Leslie Berlin (Steve Jobs Archive, 2023), “One More Thing …”. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/everything-around-you-was-made-by-people-no-smarter-than-you/ (30 October 2026).
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Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
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