Jack Dorsey is CEO of Twitter and founder/co-founder of Square, Inc. He had previously founded an online dispatch company called the Dispatch Corporation.
Dorsey was born in St. Louis, Missouri, attending Central High School (Missouri). He graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a degree in computer engineering before moving to California at age 22 to work for Netscape Communications Corporation as a software engineer.
After leaving Netscape in 2000, he worked briefly at Disney Interactive Studios before founding Odeo. This RSS service specialised in podcasting which later changed its name to Twitter after becoming popular outside the company. After Odeo’s acquisition by Obvious Corp., Dorsey co-founded Square, a mobile payments company.
In this blog post, we look at some famous quotes from Jack Dorsey and how we can implement them in different aspects of our lives.
1. “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”
This quote is for all the entrepreneurs out there who are struggling to launch their idea in an ‘ideal’ way. You will be criticised, mocked and laughed over no matter what, so do it today and not tomorrow. The sooner you launch, the better your chances of getting better.
It is also important to realise that all great things start with a bad first version, there’s no such thing as a perfect product, and if your users love using your product, they will help improve it over time.
2. “I aspire to change things that will be remembered, impact the future and inspire people. That’s what I want Twitter to be.”
If you are an entrepreneur, then the chances are that company is your world, but you need time for yourself after all the hard work. Jack Dorsey said he wants Twitter to “be” something whether it’s remembered, impacts the future or inspires people. So make sure your life ‘is’ something, impact the future by giving back to society and inspire people with who you are and what you do when you’re not building that world-changing product.
3. “If we get every person in this country using [Twitter], it will transform society.”
This is probably one of the reasons why Twitter made a lot of money in its IPO, not because it has a lot of monthly active users, but they have a massive daily active user base. A huge portion of people who use the Internet also use Twitter, and they make over 2 billion tweets per day. So if you want to reach the whole world, Twitter is one of your best bets.
4. “We have to have faith in each other and in our ability to change things. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
If you are trying to inspire people, this quote should be right up your alley because it talks about faith in yourself and your dreams and other people. It’s not only about the faith in yourself but also in humanity because you can’t change things if you don’t believe that it is possible.
5. “We need to understand why we’re doing something before we do it.”
Jack Dorsey is one of those CEOs who take their time to think before making a decision, which is a great quality to have, especially if you are the company leader. No matter what you do in life, it is highly important that you know why you’re doing something and not doing it because someone told you to or if it’s going to make your life easier.
6. “I’m not doing music, but I hear beats in my head all the time.”
This quote is for all the musicians who are constantly struggling to develop new ideas; Jack Dorsey wants us to listen to what he hears in his head. If you’re constantly worried about coming up with new ideas, then it’s probably time to take a break. If you’re worried about what other people might think of your music, then remember that there are more important things in life than being judged by others.
7. “Rest is not idleness, and to sometimes lie on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
It’s funny how much our modern society has connected ‘working’ and ‘productivity, when in fact all you need to do is relax. As Jack Dorsey said, you should never feel guilty about spending some time on yourself rather than working, especially if you love doing it. You do. Of course, you have to spend hours lying on the grass, but a few minutes is definitely enough to get your mind off work for a while.
8. “I’m just trying to get better.”
As an entrepreneur, you’re going through many highs and lows, one day, everything seems perfect, and the next day you’re thinking of quitting. Jack Dorsey says it best. He’s just trying to get better, and so should you. But, no matter what happens, don’t ever give up on your dreams, because if you do, then who will be there for the millions of people who support you.
9. “There’s a storm brewing. Get an umbrella.”
Jack Dorsey talks about how it’s important to be ready for great things, but if you do nothing, then the storm will pass you by. On the other hand, if you believe in yourself and all your dreams, there is no reason they shouldn’t come true. The only thing that can stop you is yourself.
10. “Go outside, get some air. You’ll figure it out.”
This is probably one of the most popular quotes about startups because everyone working on something big will have to deal with negative people trying to bring them down. If you’re struggling, then remember that no matter what happens, there are still millions of people who are rooting for you. And remember that all the people who are honestly trying to help you will never tell you to quit. Instead, they will give you some advice and hope for the best.
11. “So many entrepreneurs fall because of self-doubt.”
Here’s one more quote about how it’s important not to lose hope. As soon as you start believing that your dreams are impossible to achieve, this will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Jack Dorsey is right when he says that many people fall because of self-doubt and not working hard enough for their goals. However, if you truly believe in yourself and your goals, then nothing will stop you from achieving them, not other people’s opinions nor your doubt.
12. “You have to keep shipping.”
Modern society tends to romanticise the past and only look upon the best parts of it, but Jack Dorsey is telling us that we should never lose hope because there are always people trying to bring us down in one way or another.
He has never lost hope, and that’s why he keeps working on new projects to keep making the world a better place.
13. “I don’t believe in failure.”
Everyone who has ever tried anything new knows how overwhelming it can be when you start doubting yourself, but Jack Dorsey is right when he says that you should never believe in failure. Instead, if you’ve ever failed, learn from your mistakes and try again with something new.
He also mentions that people are afraid of losing money, but it’s more important to focus on improving yourself as a person rather than making money because this will open more doors to you.
15. “You should be able to change the world doing what you love.”
Most people are constantly trying to find something that they’re passionate about, but if you do, then it doesn’t even matter if nothing changes in your life and all your dreams remain just that – dreams. Just remember that with passion, you can achieve anything, and when you find it, then never let go.
Conclusion: Jack Dorsey
And we’re done. We’ve gone through fifteen of the most inspirational quotes about startups and entrepreneurship written by Jack Dorsey. As you can see, he is a very interesting man, and his quotes are filled with great advice for entrepreneurs who are struggling to find their inner passion.
Just remember that if you believe in yourself, then nothing can stop you from achieving your goals!