"Having a purpose, motivation — motivation is worth more than knowledge," says Wozniak says, speaking at eMERGE technology conference in Miami, Fla., Monday. Wozniak co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs in 1976.
"You can teach all the right things and that doesn't matter. If somebody is motivated and wants to do something, wanting — it's emotional. That's the person that is probably going to go out and find a way to actually get it done."
The Internet has made it possible for anyone with the willingness to seek information and gain skills, he says. It doesn't require a traditional academic path anymore.
"You can find so many answers in books but now you don't need books, you've got the Internet, so you just go on and explore. What are some of the resources that I might use? And what have other people done?" says Wozniak.
"A lot of people say, 'Well I have an idea but I don't have tools, I don't have infrastructure, I don't have parts to build something.'
"Well, you should bring that to yourself," he says. " Wherever you are, anywhere in the world, you can order inexpensive kits and parts and — get yourself a Raspberry Pi," says Wozniak, referring to the small, inexpensive computer. "You can do an awful lot of useful things with it."
In particular, Wozniak says he has observed an impressive amount of passion to invent and make things in Latin America and Eastern Europe.
"Young people being inspired to be entrepreneurs is the most important thing for our world, in my mind," says Wozniak. "I am very hopeful because everywhere I go I see so much passion. I think people want to be in this world of developing new products that change our lives."
He also spoke about Hapiness: Steve Wozniak has a formula for happiness, and it doesn't involve money. In fact, he's been using it since before he co-founded Apple: "'Smiles minus frowns' was my original formula when I was about 20 years old," says Wozniak, who appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box on Monday.
The "smiles" part of the equation means doing things that make you happy, following things that make you happy and having a lot of entertainment in your life, Wozniak says.
"Create jokes, create humor everywhere you go," he says. "Pranks are created jokes, for example."
Wozniak says he and Steve Jobs used to pull a lot of pranks back in the day. For example, when they were building "blue boxes," devices which allowed people to make long-distance phone calls for free, Wozniak rang up the Vatican, saying he was Secretary of State Henry Kissinger calling on behalf of President Richard Nixon. And Jobs says it was
"That keeps you happy," Wozniak tells Squawk Box.
The other part of the formula is just as important: Avoid frowns. "Don't be bothered when things don't go your way," Wozniak explains. "Just think out how to be constructive."
That advice sounds a lot like "Option B" co-author Adam Grant's theory of resilience. "I don't think there's any skill more critical for success," Grant tells CNBC.
"I think about resilience as the speed and strength of your response to adversity. So when you encounter a difficulty, a hardship, a challenge, how quickly and how effectively are you able to marshal strength and either overcome that challenge or persevere in the face of it?"
Wozniak says he's particularly good at this: "Don't waste your time blaming people and being all upset, because those feelings destroy your psychology."
Interesting... More on: http://emergeamericas.com/es/speaker/steve-wozniak/
