Creativity and Innovation are topics that many of you may have come across in literature, business seminars, and in working through tough problems every other day. Some attribute creativity to designers and artists, others regard innovation as the sole preserve of inventors and engineers. These are certainly not new concepts. And yet, very few people actually realize the importance these concepts have in the age we are living in.

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, CEO and Co-Founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks—including death itself—at the Stanford University’s 114th Commencement on Sunday in Stanford Stadium. Wearing jeans and sandals under his black robe, Jobs delivered a keynote address that spanned his adoption at birth to his insights into mortality after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about a year ago. In plainspoken terms, his address struck a balance between the obstacles he has encountered during his notably public life and the lessons he has gleaned—for example, from his high-profile ousting in 1985 from the computer company he helped start.