The Apple and the Stone
12 Proven Success Strategies Used by Steve Jobs and Goliath-Killer David
The idea that people can confront life’s obstacles by reinterpreting setbacks as opportunities is exemplified in The Apple and the Stone, a creative self-help book with two great men at its center.
Hartford G. Dawson’s The Apple and the Stone is a motivational self-help book that draws connections between innovation and faith.
Emphasizing resilience, vision, and making a lasting impact, the book places Steve Jobs and the biblical David side by side, arguing that their victories were rooted in shared strategies of persistence, imagination, and courage, whether they were defeating corporate collapse or toppling a giant. Both figures emerge as examples of how determination and vision can be cultivated. Further, through twelve structured strategies, the book illustrates the idea that people can confront life’s obstacles by reinterpreting setbacks as opportunities, strengthening belief in themselves, and embracing decisive action. Historical anecdotes, scriptural reimaginings, and personal reflections are interwoven to provide a framework for those who face daunting challenges.
A central feature of the book’s method is its organization. By dividing the material into twelve strategies, each framed around both Jobs’s career and David’s story, the book takes the shape of an ever-moving guide. Accounts of Jobs’s ousting from Apple, his role in Pixar’s growth, and his return to Apple are counterbalanced by retellings of David’s confrontation with Goliath. The symmetry creates a rhythm of comparison that underscores the universality of the lessons while supplying defined takeaways at the end of each section, which are followed by reflective questions.
The language is encouraging, and personal stories are used to humanize the advice. Everyday struggles like overcoming a childhood stutter or completing a long-delayed education are made to stand beside billion-dollar turnarounds and legendary biblical battles, showing the idea that resilience scales across contexts. Rhetorical questions, bold statements, and memorable aphorisms anchor each lesson, giving the text a dynamic quality that reinforces its message of empowerment while remaining accessible.
Emphasizing inspiration over instruction, the book falls somewhat short on supplying actionable advice. It is neither a technological history nor a theological commentary; instead, it forwards a general set of strategies that encourage courage, creativity, and persistence in daily life. Its strength lies in making extraordinary achievements feel within reach, bridging the distance between historic greatness and personal perseverance. Its earnest energy lends conviction to the unusual pairing of Silicon Valley and scriptural examples, resulting in thought-provoking work.
The Apple and the Stone is an empowering self-help book that takes Steve Jobs and King David as its exemplars of twelve strategies for resilience and boldness.
Reviewed by
John M. Murray
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
