Thank You, Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs' resignation as CEO of Apple has spawned a flurry of commentary and well wishes.

One of the best responses was this set of "Steve Jobs's Best Quotes" published by the Wall Street Journal.  There are several gems in this collection, but one really stood out for me:

When you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it.  You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back.  For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.

This kind of integrity helped him create products that added so much value to the lives of his customers.

This kind of integrity helped him take a company on the verge of extinction in 1997 and turn into one of the biggest success stories of the 21st century.

This kind of integrity underlies all the great creators and innovators throughout human history, whether they be artists, scientists, or businessmen -- a willingness to follow their own vision of what's right for their own purposes.

Or in Jobs' own words:

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 others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said of Steve Jobs, "I think Atlas Shrugged was one of his guides in life".

So in the spirit of Atlas Shrugged, I'd like to thank you, Steve Jobs, for all the value you've added to my life.  I know you did it for yourself, not for me -- and it is for that I thank you.

Paul Hsieh is a physician in practice in the south Denver metro area.