Recently I finished two books in quick succession. The
first, Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft; the second, Steve
Jobs, the biography written by Walter Isaacson. On the surface, the books may
seem unrelated. I mean, how can you compare a book on fiction writing against a
biography of one of the most polarizing business icons in the last 100 years? My
answer – Easily!! The truth is, the books are very much related . . . in soul
and essence, in philosophy, and in power.
First, let’s just take the principle characters. Stephen
King is simply one of the most prolific writers ever. His tales of horror,
supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy have sold over 350
million copies worldwide and have been adapted into numerous films. Steve Jobs
only changed the world as we know it by revolutionizing six industries:
personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and
digital publishing. He is the driving force behind iconic products like the
Mac. iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
In reading King’s book and Jobs’ biography, I found a common
thread woven throughout the pages, an insight into their drive and motivation.
I also saw how both men intuitively connected with everyday people—both in the
books they wanted to read and in the electronic gadgets they craved. What
follows is a few quotes from both men that I found strikingly similar. 
