Creatively Alike

The late Steve Jobs & Jim Henson Thought Different from most people but also Thought Alike each other. They created what people loved instead of what they yelled at out of frustration. Jim Henson was one of the innovators shown in Apple's tribute ad to innovative thinkers, similar to the homage to famous people on the Sergeant Pepper's album cover by The Beatles. The name of the Beatles record label helped to inspire the tech gadget company's name.

Visionaries often share similar ideas & ideals.
Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011 after resigning exactly 6 weeks earlier from Apple Computers on August 24, 2011.
Jim Henson would have been 75 years old exactly one month after Jobs' resignation on September 24, 2011.
Both sold their entertainment to the Walt Disney Company.

Do what you love with a vision of what would be popular in the future instead of what everyone one else is doing now. This approach towards success produced innovative gadgets such as music players, phones & computing devices, television programming including Sesame Street or memorable commercials and family friendly movies.

People loved The Muppet Movies plus the numerous Pixar films instead of yelling at a product or creation out of frustration or that it either was difficult to understand or insulted their intelligence.

The downside is they both focused on their work to the point that they didn't want to bother others when dealing with health issues.

Think Different

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

Apple's "Think Different" ad - 1998

It's better to be crazy by trying new things until figuring out what works, than insanely do the same thing repeatedly.

other comparisons

Both Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein had multiple sets of the same clothes to wear so they didn't have to waste time thinking of what to wear each day.

Working with dummies or puppets like Jim Henson does not indicate that one is not very smart. The inventor of an early prototype of an artificial heart was ventriloquist and voice of Tigger in the 1960s Winnie the Pooh movies, Paul Winchell. Ironically, the man who that further developed the idea, Robert Jarvic, is married to Marilyn vos Savant who is listed as having the world's highest IQ.

Similar approaches to life

"I'm the only person I know that's lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year.... It's very character-building."

Steve Jobs - Apple Confidential 2.0

"I believe we form our own lives, that we create our own reality, and that everything works out for the best. I know I drive some people crazy with what seems to be ridiculous optimism, but it has always worked out for me."

Jim Henson - It's Not Easy Being Green And Other Things to Consider

"It's better to be a pirate than to join the Navy."

Steve Jobs - Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple

"if you want to stop piracy, the way to stop it is by competing with it, by offering a better product at a fair price. If they would pay a fair price, we would give them a better product and they would stop being pirates."

Steve Jobs - Newsweek Oct 2006

"When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is to leave the world a little bit better for my having been here. It's a wonderful life and I love it."

Jim Henson - It's Not Easy Being Green And Other Things to Consider

"From my own point of view, I can only tell you what has worked for me - find something you really enjoy doing and pursue it. For me it was artwork. Since other subjects came to me with more difficulty, I tried to combine art with them. So for example, in history, I would often provide drawings depicting a particular period or situation - bringing together both cultural and historical elements. It did not necessarily bring up my history grade, but it did keep my mind open to history as it related to something I loved."

Jim Henson - It's Not Easy Being Green And Other Things to Consider
Come back for new quotes every other day.