“Older people sit down and ask, ‘What is it?’ but the boy asks, ‘What can I do with it?’,” A timeless quote by Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple.
Steve Jobs used this comparison to show that true innovation requires a “beginner’s mind”—an action-oriented perspective that values play and possibility over established definitions.
Who was Steve Jobs?
Steve Jobs (1955-2011) was an American entrepreneur, inventor, and business magnate best known as the co-founder of Apple. Widely regarded as one of the greatest innovators in technology history, Jobs played a key role in revolutionising personal computing, smartphones, digital music, and animation.
Under his leadership, Apple introduced iconic products such as the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and MacBook, transforming the company into one of the world’s most valuable brands.
Apart from Apple, Jobs also acquired and transformed Pixar Animation Studios, which later became a major force in the global animation industry.
When was this quote said by Steve Jobs?
Steve Jobs shared this anecdote in his famous Playboy Interview published in February 1985.
He was describing a party in New York where he showed off a Macintosh computer. While adult guests like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring were trying to understand what the machine intellectually represented, a 9-year-old boy immediately sat down and started playing with it.
What does this quote mean?
This quote contrasts two fundamental mindsets: the analytical observer who relies on rigid frameworks, and the active creator driven by curiosity. When adults ask “What is it?”, they are trying to label, categorise, and define a new tool based on their past experiences, which often limits their ability to see its true potential.
Conversely, when a child asks “What can I do with it?”, they bypass abstract theory to focus entirely on immediate utility, experimentation, and personal creation.
