The story of Steve Jobs is usually told the same way: the bold innovator, the relentless perfectionist, the man who stepped onto a stage and shifted the course of technology again and again.
But as his life neared its end, while he was fighting cancer, his focus wasn’t on the next groundbreaking idea. Instead, he was reflecting on everything already created—the countless contributions that made his own life possible.
What was on his mind in his final days?
In the final weeks before his death on October 5, 2011, Jobs opened his iPad and typed out an email. The addressee? Himself. It wasn’t a business plan, nor a blueprint for the future—it was a deeply personal meditation, one he never intended anyone else to see. Thanks to the Steve Jobs Archive, launched by Laurene Powell Jobs, Tim Cook, and Jony Ive, the world now has access to that intimate moment.
The email dated September 2, 2010 starts with the Apple co-founder saying “I grow little of the food I eat, and of the little I do grow I did not breed or perfect the seeds”. “I do not make any of my own clothing” he continues. “I speak a language I did not invent or refine”, he writes.
In an emotional line, Jobs states how he feels ‘helpless’, probably about his medical condition. “When I needed medical attention, I was helpless to help myself survive”, he writes.
What did the email say?
Here’s the full text of the email Steve Jobs wrote to himself on September 2, 2010
“I grow little of the food I eat, and of the little I do grow I did not breed or perfect the seeds.
do not make any of my own clothing.
I speak a language I did not invent or refine.
I did not discover the mathematics I use.
I am protected by freedoms and laws I did not conceive of or legislate, and do not enforce or adjudicate.
I am moved by music I did not create myself.
When I needed medical attention, I was helpless to help myself survive.
I did not invent the transistor, the microprocessor, object oriented programming, or most of the technology I work with.
I love and admire my species, living and dead, and am totally dependent on them for my life and well being.”