This week I got the chance to read a non-fiction ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’. This phrase means we should always want more, never be content and when you want to do something that others say is foolish do it anyways. This is how new ideas come about. This is how inventions are made. This book contains the inspiring stories of 25 IIM Ahmedabad graduates who chose to tread a path of their own making. These 25 IIMA graduates went out of the line and chose entrepreneurship, rejecting the more conventional and comfortable hot corporate jobs. The book describes some Believers, some Opportunists and a few good men having alternate vision. The moral of all these 25 stories, what I feel is that quit your boring job and do whatever you like. However it may sound foolish to leave a well paying job to pursue the dream even without having any rock-solid plan and backup but believe me this is how entrepreneurs born. It is the only way to become an entrepreneur. If you want to be an enterpreneur, you will love reading this book. You will definitely be inspired with the people showcased in the book. The author of the book, Rashmi Bansal is also an MBA from IIMA and cofounder and editor of JAM (Just Another Magazine), India’s leading youth magazine. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish has been brought out by the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship at the IIM Ahmadabad.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish is divided into 3 sections ::

Believers: Graduates who took the plunge straight out of IIM-A
Opportunists: Graduates who saw an opportunity and capitalized on it
People having Alternate Vision: Social Entrepreneurs who cared about society beyond money

In every story you will see a brief introduction about the person portrayed and then a short profile and then an advice by the person.

Origin of the phrase “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish”

During late 1960s there was an amazing publication in USA called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of that generation. It was created by Stewart Brand. The Wholte Earth Catalog was like a Google in paperback form. Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue in mid-1970s. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
As told by Steve Jobs in a speech at Stanford University

But do you know Watch the famous Stay Hungry Stay Foolish Speech by Steve Jobs at Stanford University. This is one of the greatest? speeches I’ve ever heard in my life.