--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's incredibly easy as a director to be…" description: "\"It's incredibly easy as a director to be egotistical. Of course, it is because you have 200 people on set every day listening to your every word and wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d12/dan-mazer-31559_brilliant_it-s-incredibly-easy-as-a-director-to-be_319389.jpg" --- # It's incredibly easy as a director to be egotistical. Of… ![“It's incredibly easy as a director to be egotistical. Of course, it is because you have 200 people on set every day listening to your every word and whatever you say goes, and that can be slightly corrupting. And actually, to be a good director, you have to take ego out of it, because hopefully…” quote by Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d12/dan-mazer-31559_brilliant_it-s-incredibly-easy-as-a-director-to-be_319389.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d12/dan-mazer-31559_brilliant_it-s-incredibly-easy-as-a-director-to-be_319389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d12/dan-mazer-31559_brilliant_it-s-incredibly-easy-as-a-director-to-be_319389.jpg) > “It's incredibly easy as a director to be egotistical. Of course, it is because you have 200 people on set every day listening to your every word and whatever you say goes, and that can be slightly corrupting. And actually, to be a good director, you have to take ego out of it, because hopefully what you've done is surrounded yourself with brilliant people. Let them be brilliant and you just shepherd that and marshal that and hopefully guide it however you can, but definitely not to the extent that you're overbearing.” [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Directors must suppress ego, relying on talented teams rather than dominating, to preserve artistic integrity. **In simple terms:** Good directors set aside ego and empower their crew. Key Takeaway Lead by supporting others, not by controlling. Themes leadership collaboration ego management Mood thoughtful practical Type professional motivational When to use this quote - Directing a film - managing creative projects - team building Key Concepts film production team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance confidence with humility? - What practices keep ego in check? A Different Perspective Ego can still influence decisions despite best intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliant/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Director Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director-ego-3013877/) [Director Egotistical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director-egotistical-3013876/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Egotistical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egotistical/) [Egotistical Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egotistical-course-3013878/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Good director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-director/) [Good directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-directors/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Hopefully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopefully/) [Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening/) [Overbearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overbearing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Shepherds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shepherds/) [Whatever you say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whatever-you-say/) ## Related quotes > [J.J. Abrams is a director with no ego. He is a director who has a very consistent attitude when he's at work. He's funny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-q/j-j-abrams-is-a-director-with-no-ego-he-is-a-director-who-has-a-very/) [Maggie Q](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-q/) > [You should not say anything that you cannot put your totality behind. The total value of you is that whatever you say, you stick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/you-should-not-say-anything-that-you-cannot-put-your-totality-behind/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [A non-event ... is better to write about than an event, because with a non-event you can make up the meaning yourself, it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-non-event-is-better-to-write-about-than-an-event-because-with-a-non/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Whatever is expressed is impressed. Whatever you say to yourself, with emotion, generates thoughts, ideas and behaviors consistent with those words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/whatever-is-expressed-is-impressed-whatever-you-say-to-yourself-with/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [ Whatever you say about Fergus McCann, if this \[Celtic Park\] is the legacy, then I am absolutely delighted with it. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-neill/whatever-you-say-about-fergus-mccann-if-this-celtic-park-is-the/) [Martin O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-neill/) > [I would like a world full of love. But remember, that love has no opposite to it. It is simply because you inside yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/i-would-like-a-world-full-of-love-but-remember-that-love-has-no/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The world is a mirror for us – whatever you say about others is really how you feel about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-world-is-a-mirror-for-us-whatever-you-say-about-others-is-really/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I've always found that whatever you say about indie rock, it is the most inclusive genre or title for anything. It doesn't pin you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-always-found-that-whatever-you-say-about-indie-rock-it-is-the-2/) [Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/) > [Whatever you say it is, is simply what YOU SAY it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-korzybski/whatever-you-say-it-is-is-simply-what-you-say-it-is/) [Alfred Korzybski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-korzybski/) > [Whatever you say, say nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/whatever-you-say-say-nothing/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [Some people demand a five-line capsule summary. Something you'd read in a magazine. They want you to say, 'This is the story of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/some-people-demand-a-five-line-capsule-summary-something-you-d-read/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [Never hide yourself! When you say something, don't be in the shadow; let everyone see you! Whatever you say always put your name under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/never-hide-yourself-when-you-say-something-don-t-be-in-the-shadow-let/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Music is an opportunity to say every single thing that you want to say. People will pore over whatever you say and however you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-cole-smith/music-is-an-opportunity-to-say-every-single-thing-that-you-want-to/) [Zachary Cole Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-cole-smith/) > [In assembling this group of portraits of women, I'm aware that I'm treading on dangerous ground. When I was in college, I learned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-soth/in-assembling-this-group-of-portraits-of-women-i-m-aware-that-i-m/) [Alec Soth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-soth/) > [Whatever you say about something, it is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-korzybski/whatever-you-say-about-something-it-is-not/) [Alfred Korzybski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-korzybski/) ## More by Dan Mazer > [I like to foster an atmosphere on set of collaboration and openness and risk taking. The beauty is when you have such brilliantly talented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/i-like-to-foster-an-atmosphere-on-set-of-collaboration-and-openness/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [I don't want to sound arrogant and say that I know everything about directing and I've got it cracked, but it was just all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/i-don-t-want-to-sound-arrogant-and-say-that-i-know-everything-about/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [I've been on lots of film sets. I've produced films and written films and been around, so it wasn't my first rodeo in terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/i-ve-been-on-lots-of-film-sets-i-ve-produced-films-and-written-films/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [My casting process was slightly different and slightly interesting insofar as I knew everybody could act. That's something you've seen. 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Actors like to know where they're headed and what they want, so I'm very encouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/i-think-actors-like-to-be-directed-actors-like-to-know-where-they-re/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [And then, movie-wise, I'm writing a couple of things. They're all comedies. It's the only way I know. I'm also being sent scripts, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/and-then-movie-wise-i-m-writing-a-couple-of-things-they-re-all/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [It's tough to make funny films. And the truth is, with this process, especially if you write your own movie, then you're giving three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/it-s-tough-to-make-funny-films-and-the-truth-is-with-this-process/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [In terms of magnifying it and making it plausible, I'm a great believer in truth in comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/in-terms-of-magnifying-it-and-making-it-plausible-i-m-a-great/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [To me, there was an interesting movie to be made about two people who had been on that whirlwind romance and what happens after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/to-me-there-was-an-interesting-movie-to-be-made-about-two-people-who/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [I know what I want. I try and convey that at the beginning and set that out, but within those parameters, I'm very happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/i-know-what-i-want-i-try-and-convey-that-at-the-beginning-and-set/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [With directing, your day is done. When you hit seven o'clock, it's "Cut." That's what it is. For better or worse, that's what you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/with-directing-your-day-is-done-when-you-hit-seven-o-clock-it-s-cut/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [You sit down in the morning on your own to write something. 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He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [No matter how brilliant an actor is, there's always a point where they let you down, but that's all part of their journey. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hale/no-matter-how-brilliant-an-actor-is-there-s-always-a-point-where-they/) [Amanda Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hale/) > [I enjoy working with Deborah Ann, I think she's brilliant. 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He looked weird and I think he took a really defensive attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-fritts/tom-stafford-was-an-odd-character-you-know-a-brilliant-guy-he-looked/) [Donnie Fritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-fritts/) [Browse all 2,403 Brilliant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's incredibly easy as a director to be egotistical. Of course, it is because you have 200 people on set every day listening to your every word and whatever you say goes, and that can be slightly corrupting. And actually, to be a good director, you have to take ego out of it, because hopefully what you've done is surrounded yourself with brilliant people. 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