Wit & Attitude Quote by Steve Jobs

"We've demonstrated a strong track record of being very disciplined with the use of our cash. We don't let it burn a hole in our pocket, we don't allow it to motivate us to do stupid acquisitions. And so I think that we'd like to continue to keep our powder dry, because we do feel that there are one or more strategic opportunities in the future"

Steve Jobs, Businessman

About this Quote

Jobs is selling restraint as a form of aggression. The line reads like a calm financial update, but it’s really a flex: we have money, we have taste, and unlike the rest of Silicon Valley, we’re not going to panic-spend to prove we’re alive.

The language is deliberately folksy for a CEO talking about war chests and M&A strategy. “Burn a hole in our pocket” turns corporate capital into an everyday temptation, implying Apple’s discipline is not just managerial but moral. Then he sharpens the blade with “stupid acquisitions,” a phrase that quietly indicts competitors without naming them. In an era when tech companies routinely bought their way into relevance, Jobs positions Apple as the rare actor that doesn’t confuse shopping with strategy.

“Keep our powder dry” is the real tell: a martial metaphor that reframes cash as ammunition. He’s not preaching frugality; he’s signaling readiness. The subtext is control. Apple will wait, watch, and then move when the moment is asymmetrically advantageous. That’s classic Jobs: patience paired with certainty that the company, not the market, sets the tempo.

The final clause, “one or more strategic opportunities,” is intentionally vague, a pressure line aimed at multiple audiences. Investors hear prudence and optionality. Rivals hear menace: we’re not done. Internally, it reinforces a culture that treats focus as identity - the belief that the best acquisitions are the ones you don’t make, until you can make the one that changes everything.

Quote Details

Topic	Vision & Strategy
Source	Help us find the source
Cite

More Quotes by Steve Add to List

About the Author

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955 - October 5, 2011) was a Businessman from USA.

97 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

"And one of our points of continuing conversation with our trading partners is the urgency of their taking steps to remove barriers to their improved growth performance"

John W. Snow, Economist

"Keep your faith in God, but keep your powder dry"

Oliver Cromwell, Soldier

"Sooner or later, we sell out for money"

Tony Randall, Actor

"Today people who hold cash equivalents feel comfortable. They shouldn't. They have opted for a terrible long-term asset, one that pays virtually nothing and is certain to depreciate in value"

Warren Buffett, Businessman

Warren Buffett

"In the draft plan, we're looking at recycling 20 percent of our garbage by 2010"

Michael E. Mann, Scientist

"We have the fact we sell out every week to 67,500 and hopefully 75,000 in the future. We have a lot of assets"

David Gill, Scientist

"We have, unlike many of our competitors, continued to meet our various financial obligations"

Gerard Arpey, Businessman

"We're just getting better at our trade, man. We know what we're doing, and the reason why is that we've spent 30 years doing it. There's nothing that can replace that"

Alan Vega, Musician

Alan Vega

"I'm very, very bullish about our prospects, and as I tell our board, as I tell our employees, this is the time to invest. There's so much opportunity. Let's just invest in that opportunity, and really get after it"

Steve Ballmer, Businessman

"Positioning the brand and regaining trust are all smart things for us to do and those are the litmus tests for any decisions we make"

John McKinley, Politician

"We are quite open, however, to looking at acquisitions and there are opportunities that we periodically consider. and I think that may be something we do in the future, but I must say that there is no commitment to that at the present time in any form or size"

David Milne, Artist

David Milne

"The very necessity of bringing our armament up to a certain level as rapidly as possible must place in the foreground the idea of as large returns as possible in foreign exchange and therewith the greatest possible assurance of raw material supplies, through exporting"

Hjalmar Schacht, Economist

Hjalmar Schacht

"We're looking to have the ability to come in and be able to capitalize on the marketing in order to grow the top-line. We basically leverage what has worked with our other successful acquisitions - investment in marketing, retention and student services"

John Larson, Politician

"Let's take a timeout. Let's allow investors the opportunity in a period of market calm to re-examine what's happened and to deploy new strategies into the marketplace"

Richard Grasso, Businessman

"Every time we bring someone in we ensure that they are a strategic thinker, but even more important that they understand that if the products aren't successful and the products don't sell that there won't be anything to strategize about"

David Rose, Musician

"There are so many things to take into account - your ambition, your ego, the press, the consumers. You can never be sure that you'll be on top of the pile again"

Giorgio Armani, Designer

Giorgio Armani

"Goodwill is the only asset that competition cannot undersell or destroy"

Marshall Field, Businessman

"Our ultimate goal is to stay in business. We are not here with a specific plan. That's kind of how our entire career has evolved. We will figure things out as we go along"

Mary-Kate Olsen, Actress

Mary-Kate Olsen

"Some of our stuff ends up looking too corporate. I'm going to be a lot stricter from now on"

Evan Dando, Musician

"Put your trust in God; but be sure to keep your powder dry"

Oliver Cromwell, Soldier