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Steve Jobs Says Half the Battle Is Just Not Quitting

By Steve Jobs · Mindset & Career · 1 min read

Jobs told wannabe entrepreneurs to go get a job as a bus boy until they find something worth suffering for.

Key Points

Half of what separates successful founders from unsuccessful ones is pure perseverance
Without passion for the problem, you will not survive the 18-hour days
Jobs advised people without ideas to go work as bus boys until they find something

I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.

Go Be a Bus Boy

People came to Steve Jobs all the time. 'I want to be an entrepreneur.' Great. What is your idea? 'I do not have one yet.'

Jobs had a standard answer: go get a job as a bus boy. Work until you find something you care about so much it hurts.

No idea? Go be a bus boy until you find something worth suffering for.

The Perseverance Filter

Jobs was convinced: half the battle is pure perseverance. Not talent. Not connections. Not luck. Perseverance.

Building a company is brutal. 18-hour days. Seven days a week. Rough moments that make smart people quit.

Most people give up. Jobs did not blame them. It is that hard.

Half the battle is not quitting. That is it.

Why Passion Is Not Optional

Without passion, you will not survive. The hours are too long. The setbacks are too brutal. The sacrifice is too real.

If you have a family in the early days of a company, Jobs could not imagine how you do it. It consumes everything.

Passion is not a nice-to-have. It is the fuel that keeps you alive when everything else runs out.

Passion is not a nice-to-have. It is survival fuel.

Find a Wrong That Needs Righting

You need an idea. A problem. A wrong that you want to right. Something that burns inside you.

That burning is what carries you through the dark moments. Without it, you are running on empty.

The startup graveyard is full of smart people who did not care enough. Do not join them.

Find a wrong that burns inside you. That is your startup idea.