--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I could press a button and have all of…" description: "\"If I could press a button and have all of Sequoia Capital on the Midas List, I would choose to do that over a honoring a single individual.\" — Douglas ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/douglas-leone-22054_button_if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-o_118554.png" --- # If I could press a button and have all of Sequoia Capital… ![“If I could press a button and have all of Sequoia Capital on the Midas List, I would choose to do that over a honoring a single individual.” quote by Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/douglas-leone-22054_button_if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-o_118554.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/douglas-leone-22054_button_if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-o_118554.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/douglas-leone-22054_button_if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-o_118554.png) > “If I could press a button and have all of Sequoia Capital on the Midas List, I would choose to do that over a honoring a single individual.” [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing collective achievement over individual accolades reflects a belief that shared success outweighs singular recognition. **In simple terms:** Group success is valued above personal honors. Key Takeaway Collective impact trumps individual fame. Themes leadership teamwork recognition investment Mood pragmatic ambitious Type business motivational When to use this quote - venture capital decisions - company award ceremonies - team performance reviews Key Concepts organizational culture value systems Practical Applications - focus on collaborative projects - share credit openly Questions to Reflect On - When is individual recognition essential? - How does collective focus affect innovation? A Different Perspective Individual contributions can inspire others; ignoring them may demotivate talent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/press/) [Single individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-individual/) ## Related quotes > [We've tried to build Sequoia Capital with an eye for the long term that we really look for in the companies we like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/we-ve-tried-to-build-sequoia-capital-with-an-eye-for-the-long-term/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [In early 2011, I had the opportunity to meet and spend significant time with Alfred Lin, a partner at Sequoia Capital and co-founder of Zappos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-hyman/in-early-2011-i-had-the-opportunity-to-meet-and-spend-significant/) [Jennifer Hyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-hyman/) > [I wanted to be a venture capitalist and join Sequoia Capital. They've financed and helped built some really special and enormously successful companies, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lin/i-wanted-to-be-a-venture-capitalist-and-join-sequoia-capital-they-ve/) [Alfred Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lin/) > [As any change must begin somewhere, it is the single individual who will experience it and carry it through. The change must indeed begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/as-any-change-must-begin-somewhere-it-is-the-single-individual-who/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“It was that his words, his telling, just did not synchronize with what his hearers believed would (and must) be the scope of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-that-his-words-his-telling-just-did-not-synchronize-with-what/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Believe that you can even as a single individual, you can change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-tanner/believe-that-you-can-even-as-a-single-individual-you-can-change-the/) [Evan Tanner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-tanner/) > [A school of art or of anything else is to be looked on as a single individual, who keeps talking to himself for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/a-school-of-art-or-of-anything-else-is-to-be-looked-on-as-a-single/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [in race relations, the single gesture and the single individual are more often than not doomed to failure. Only the group and the long-term,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-halsey/in-race-relations-the-single-gesture-and-the-single-individual-are/) [Margaret Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-halsey/) > [“I doubt if a single individual could be found from the whole of mankind free from some form of insanity. The only difference is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/i-doubt-if-a-single-individual-could-be-found-from-the-whole-of/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [Households, cities, countries, and nations have enjoyed great happiness when a single individual has taken heed of the Good and Beautiful. Such people not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philo/households-cities-countries-and-nations-have-enjoyed-great-happiness/) [Philo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philo/) > [No single, individual moment is in and of itself unendurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/no-single-individual-moment-is-in-and-of-itself-unendurable/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [There is no way that the Fourth Gospel was written by John Zebedee or by any of the disciples of Jesus. The author of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/there-is-no-way-that-the-fourth-gospel-was-written-by-john-zebedee-or/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The uniqueness of the unit was more or less that it was focused on a single individual. It was really the first time the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/the-uniqueness-of-the-unit-was-more-or-less-that-it-was-focused-on-a/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [The whole theory of the universe is directed unerringly to one single individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/the-whole-theory-of-the-universe-is-directed-unerringly-to-one-single/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [“... That no single, individual moment is in and of itself unendurable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/that-no-single-individual-moment-is-in-and-of-itself-unendurable/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) ## More by Douglas Leone > [We see China as a large market opportunity with similar cyclical economic cycles that occur throughout every economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/we-see-china-as-a-large-market-opportunity-with-similar-cyclical/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [The venture industry is both quite vibrant and quite competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/the-venture-industry-is-both-quite-vibrant-and-quite-competitive/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [You meet with a CEO or founder. You talk about sales, engineering, product management and give some ideas or suggestions. And the founder quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/you-meet-with-a-ceo-or-founder-you-talk-about-sales-engineering/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [We like companies that can get big and powerful on $50 million or less and not two, three, four or five billion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/we-like-companies-that-can-get-big-and-powerful-on-50-million-or-less/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [During dark times, real entrepreneurs come out. They are not competing with 10 look-alike companies for engineering talent, so it's a great time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/during-dark-times-real-entrepreneurs-come-out-they-are-not-competing/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [You have to be willing to risk things; otherwise, somebody else will put you out of business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/you-have-to-be-willing-to-risk-things-otherwise-somebody-else-will/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [We've tried to build Sequoia Capital with an eye for the long term that we really look for in the companies we like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/we-ve-tried-to-build-sequoia-capital-with-an-eye-for-the-long-term/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [If you start a successful company in China at 11 A.M., by 2 P.M. there's three more companies like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/if-you-start-a-successful-company-in-china-at-11-a-m-by-2-p-m-there-s/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [Crystal-clear thinking is one of the things we look for - not a fancy slide pitch, but crystal-clear thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/crystal-clear-thinking-is-one-of-the-things-we-look-for-not-a-fancy/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [In a globalized world, one application can spread like wildfire and there's only one winning company, which means you have to invest more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/in-a-globalized-world-one-application-can-spread-like-wildfire-and/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [We have co-opted seed funds. You know, Y Combinator, that was completely our money. We have secret handshakes with a whole bunch of people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/we-have-co-opted-seed-funds-you-know-y-combinator-that-was-completely/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [I'll say this: I can't think of one instance in my 20 years in venture capital in which I have wanted to sell a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/i-ll-say-this-i-can-t-think-of-one-instance-in-my-20-years-in-venture/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [The trick is, a market has to be nonexistent when you start. If the market is large early on, you will have too many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/the-trick-is-a-market-has-to-be-nonexistent-when-you-start-if-the/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [We want people who come from humble backgrounds and have a need to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/we-want-people-who-come-from-humble-backgrounds-and-have-a-need-to-win/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) > [There's a number of companies clearly that we wish we had invested in either at the early or at the moderate stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/there-s-a-number-of-companies-clearly-that-we-wish-we-had-invested-in/) [Douglas Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) [Explore all 28 Douglas Leone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/) ## More Button quotes > [“One button for the rest of your life online.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/one-button-for-the-rest-of-your-life-online/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Sometimes I Wish There Was WOOF Button...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/sometimes-i-wish-there-was-woof-button/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Even the wordiest of men know there's a time to button it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/even-the-wordiest-of-men-know-there-s-a-time-to-button-it/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [They should invent a snooze button that hits back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-should-invent-a-snooze-button-that-hits-back/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sewing on a button, like avoiding eye contact on the subway, is a basic life skill. Along with How to Windex a Mirror and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-volk/sewing-on-a-button-like-avoiding-eye-contact-on-the-subway-is-a-basic/) Patricia Volk > [With women, the best part is the discovery. There's nothing like the first time, nothing. You don't know what life is until you undress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/with-women-the-best-part-is-the-discovery-there-s-nothing-like-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Where's the button that makes time stand still...I need a break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/where-s-the-button-that-makes-time-stand-still-i-need-a-break/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Imagine you're watching '30 Rock' and an ad comes on, but you don't like it. With Hulu Ad Swap, you can actually click the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-kilar/imagine-you-re-watching-30-rock-and-an-ad-comes-on-but-you-don-t-like/) [Jason Kilar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-kilar/) > [“I dont know who I am but one thing I do know is that when I see a BIG THREATENING BUTTON I just want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tennant/i-dont-know-who-i-am-but-one-thing-i-do-know-is-that-when-i-see-a-big/) [David Tennant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tennant/) > [Jenson Button is in the top ten, in eleventh position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-walker/jenson-button-is-in-the-top-ten-in-eleventh-position/) [Murray Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-walker/) > [What button will u push](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-button-will-u-push/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I mean if someone you know pushes a button you're gonna strike back out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brande-roderick/i-mean-if-someone-you-know-pushes-a-button-you-re-gonna-strike-back/) [Brande Roderick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brande-roderick/) > [I'm not sure when exactly I knew I was funny, but I always knew I was different. I never had an 'edit' button and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-gold/i-m-not-sure-when-exactly-i-knew-i-was-funny-but-i-always-knew-i-was/) [Judy Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-gold/) > [Every morning is a battle between the superego and the id, and I am a mere foot soldier with mud and a snooze button…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/every-morning-is-a-battle-between-the-superego-and-the-id-and-i-am-a/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [As anyone who has covered the company for any length of time knows, Yahoo's record on major decision-making has been akin to a hippie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/as-anyone-who-has-covered-the-company-for-any-length-of-time-knows/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) Browse all 127 Button quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I could press a button and have all of Sequoia Capital on the Midas List, I would choose to do that over a honoring a single individual.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Leone" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-of-sequoia-capital-on-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Button" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-of-sequoia-capital-on-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/douglas-leone-22054_button_if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-o_118554.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/douglas-leone-22054_button_if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-o_118554.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/douglas-leone-22054_button_if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-o_118554.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I could press a button and have all of Sequoia Capital on the Midas List, I would choose to do that over…” — Douglas Leone", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Douglas Leone", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-leone/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I could press a button...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-of-sequoia-capital-on-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-leone/if-i-could-press-a-button-and-have-all-of-sequoia-capital-on-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```