We're but a few short hours away from the much-anticipated interview of Walter Isaacson, official biographer of Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs, on tonight's edition of CBS News' "60 Minutes."
For the impatient, however, transcripts of the show have already been released. And with them comes a retelling of Jobs' thoughts on a number of important life moments: his adoption, business, his thoughts on his to-be-released biography, and his thoughts on the afterlife – the latter, held during Jobs' final interview with Isaacson all of one month prior to Jobs' death.
The show itself airs at 7 p.m. tonight within your respective time zone, and Isaacson's book – simply titled, "Steve Jobs" -- officially hits shelves tomorrow. For those who can't wait, however, here are some snippets into Jobs' life, told both by the former Apple CEO himself as well as the final person who interviewed him.
Jobs on adoption:
JOBS: I was, I remember right here on my lawn, telling Lisa McMoylar from across the street that I was adopted. And she said, "So does that mean your real parents didn't want you?" Ooooh, lightning bolts went off in my head. I remember running into the house, I think I was like crying, asking my parents. And they sat me down and they said, "No, you don't understand. We specifically picked you out."
ISAACSON: He said, "From then on, I realized that I was not — just abandoned. I was chosen. I was special." And I think that's the key to understanding Steve Jobs.
Jobs and the afterlife:
ISAACSON: I remember sitting in his backyard in his garden one day and he started talking about God. He said, "Sometimes I believe in God, sometimes I don't. I think it's 50-50 maybe. But ever since I've had cancer, I've been thinking about it more. And I find myself believing a bit more. I kind of-- maybe it's 'cause I want to believe in an afterlife. That when you die, it doesn't just all disappear. The wisdom you've accumulated. Somehow it lives on. The he paused for a second and he said 'yeah, but sometimes I think it's just like an on-off switch. Click and you're gone.' He said—and paused again, and he said, "And that's why I don't like putting on-off switches on Apple devices."
Jobs on money:
JOBS: And a lot of people thought they had to start being rich … a few people went out and bought Rolls-Royces and they bought homes, and their wives got plastic surgery … and I saw these people who were really nice, simple people turn into these bizarro people. And I made a promise to myself. I said: "I'm not going to let this money ruin my life."
Jobs' temperament:
ISAACSON: He was very petulant. He was very brittle. He could be very, very mean to people at times. Whether it was to a waitress in a restaurant, or to a guy who had stayed up all night coding, he could just really just go at them and say, "You're doin' this all wrong. It's horrible." And you'd say, "Why did you do that? Why weren't you nicer?" And he'd say I really want to be with people who demand perfection. And this is who I am."
Jobs and perfection:
ISAACSON: Paul Jobs was a salt-of-the-earth guy who was a great mechanic. And he taught his son Steve how to make great things And he--once they were building a fence. And he said, "You got to make the back of the fence that nobody will see just as good looking as the front of the fence." Even though nobody will see it, you will know, and that will show that you're dedicated to making something perfect."
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