20 Great Quotes: Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates
Speaking about your business and passions can often define you as a person. However, what you say can sometimes come back and bite you.
I previously wondered how Bill Gates and Steve Jobs would be portrayed if they made a move about them today (Pirates of Silicon Valley: Then and Now). What have these pioneers of the computing industry said in the past that has defined who they are today?
I compiled 10 of the best quotes from both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. See if you can guess who said what. Good Luck!
Quote 1
You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Quote 2
As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 3
DOS is ugly and interferes with users’ experience.
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 4
Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Quote 5
I think it’s fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we’ve ever created. They’re tools of communication, they’re tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 6
If you can’t make it good, at least make it look good.
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 7
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Quote 8
Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Quote 9
If I’d had some set idea of a finish line, don’t you think I would have crossed it years ago?
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 10
Life is not fair; get used to it.
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 11
I’m the only person I know that’s lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year…. It’s very character-building.
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Quote 12
So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ‘No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.’
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Quote 13
Unfortunately, people are not rebelling against Microsoft. They don’t know any better.
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Quote 14
If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it’s worth — and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago.
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Quote 15
We’ve got to put a lot of money into changing behavior.
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 16
When you want to do your homework, fill out your tax return, or see all the choices for a trip you want to take, you need a full-size screen.
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 17
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 18
If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG.
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Answer: Bill Gates
Quote 19
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Quote 20
I’ve always wanted to own and control the primary technology in everything we do.
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Answer: Steve Jobs
Sources:
- Steve Jobs Quotes
- Steve Jobs Quotes – The Quotations Page
- A Collection of 60 Inspirational Steve Jobs Quotes About Life, Design and Apple
- Bill Gates Quotes
Photo courtesy of Joi Ito.
How did you do with guessing? Were there any quotes that surprised you? Is there a quote that you really enjoy that I didn’t include?
Please share below in the comments.
Update (08/26/2010): Modified answer to transparent text.
Update (10/13/2010): Still having difficulties viewing answers? View the Answer Key.
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Does not work very well, the hide-and-show-feature – to be hontest, it does not work at all …
(FF 3.6.8/Linux)
Thanks for your feedback. Worked in FF 3.6.3/Linux for me… Anyhow, just so there wouldn’t be any further issues. I replaced the hide-and-show feature with transparent text.
Steve Jobs was always the better Thomas Edison.