--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be honest, I was uneasy about Steve…" description: "\"“To be honest, I was uneasy about Steve. He had a forceful personality, whereas I do not, and I felt threatened by him. For all of my talk about the im..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ed-catmull-1553_different-level_to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he_2405722.jpg" --- # To be honest, I was uneasy about Steve. He had a forceful… ![“To be honest, I was uneasy about Steve. He had a forceful personality, whereas I do not, and I felt threatened by him. For all of my talk about the importance of surrounding myself with people smarter than myself, his intensity was at such a different level, I didn’t know how to interpret it. It…” quote by Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ed-catmull-1553_different-level_to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he_2405722.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ed-catmull-1553_different-level_to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he_2405722.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ed-catmull-1553_different-level_to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he_2405722.jpg) > ““To be honest, I was uneasy about Steve. He had a forceful personality, whereas I do not, and I felt threatened by him. For all of my talk about the importance of surrounding myself with people smarter than myself, his intensity was at such a different level, I didn’t know how to interpret it. It put me in the mind of an ad campaign that the Maxell cassette tape company released around this time, featuring what would become an iconic image: a guy sitting low in a leather-and-chrome Le Corbusier chair, his long hair being literally blown back by the sound from the stereophonic speaker in front of him. That’s what it was like to be with Steve. He was the speaker. Everyone else was the guy.”” [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Working with a dominant, intense personality can feel overwhelming, making one question their own interpretation and role. **In simple terms:** Intense personalities can dominate and challenge self‑confidence. Key Takeaway Find balance and learn from intensity. Themes leadership confidence intensity interpretation collaboration Mood thoughtful inspirational Type leadership motivational When to use this quote - team meetings - creative brainstorming - conflict resolution - mentor relationships Key Concepts psychology organizational behavior communication Questions to Reflect On - How can you stay grounded around dominant personalities? - What strategies help interpret intense behavior constructively? A Different Perspective May suppress diverse ideas if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corbusier Chair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corbusier-chair-6039254/) [Different level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-level/) [Le Corbusier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/le-corbusier/) [Like Steve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-steve-508417/) [Long hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-hair/) [Maxell Cassette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maxell-cassette-6039252/) [Speaker Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaker-guy-6039255/) [Uneasy Steve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uneasy-steve-6039253/) ## Related quotes > [“I was way too shy ever to be a business leader like Steve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/i-was-way-too-shy-ever-to-be-a-business-leader-like-steve/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [Look at someone like Steve Jobs. His look wasn't very special - black turtleneck and jeans - but he had style. He looked the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/look-at-someone-like-steve-jobs-his-look-wasn-t-very-special-black/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [The book by William Goldman, Adventures In The Screen Trade, great, awesome book. He talks about this very thing - that you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/the-book-by-william-goldman-adventures-in-the-screen-trade-great/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [I like Steve Gadd, everything he did with Steely Dan. There's so many. I like everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-barker/i-like-steve-gadd-everything-he-did-with-steely-dan-there-s-so-many-i/) [Travis Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-barker/) > [Ma'am, there's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that. -Steve Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-avengers/ma-am-there-s-only-one-god-and-i-m-pretty-sure-he-doesn-t-dress-like/) [The Avengers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-avengers/) > [I would like to be someone like Steve Martin. That's the path I'd like to follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrot-top/i-would-like-to-be-someone-like-steve-martin-that-s-the-path-i-d-like/) [Carrot Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrot-top/) > [I think people like Steve Vai are so boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-jones/i-think-people-like-steve-vai-are-so-boring/) [Adam Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-jones/) > [“Nobody ever loved you like I do. ~ Steve thinking to himself about Chenco”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullinan/nobody-ever-loved-you-like-i-do-steve-thinking-to-himself-about-chenco/) [Heidi Cullinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullinan/) > [I just always remember there being an ability to amuse schoolmates. Not in a kind of 'dance-around-at-the-front-of-the-room-with-his-trousers-off' way, but probably with a sardonic quip.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/i-just-always-remember-there-being-an-ability-to-amuse-schoolmates/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [Steve Vai had a unique style of playing. Steve Vai didn't sound like anyone else: Steve Vai sounded like Steve Vai.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-5/steve-vai-had-a-unique-style-of-playing-steve-vai-didn-t-sound-like/) [John 5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-5/) > [When the Americans see someone like Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg, who made billions thanks to their talent and determination, the first thing they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-lapid/when-the-americans-see-someone-like-steve-jobs-or-mark-zuckerberg-who/) [Yair Lapid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-lapid/) > [Love is mysterious and rad, like Steve Perry from Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/love-is-mysterious-and-rad-like-steve-perry-from-journey/) [Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/) > [“Not all men are like Steve.” “I know,” I said, “but I don’t have the ability to tell the difference.” You’re”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-scott/not-all-men-are-like-steve-i-know-i-said-but-i-don-t-have-the-ability/) [Emma Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-scott/) > [I like Steve Bannon. He is a good man. He is not a racist - I can tell you that. He's a good person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-like-steve-bannon-he-is-a-good-man-he-is-not-a-racist-i-can-tell/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The problem was Le Corbusier was a genius and an enormous artist, but he tried to resolve problems to which there is no solution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-krier/the-problem-was-le-corbusier-was-a-genius-and-an-enormous-artist-but/) [Leon Krier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-krier/) ## More by Ed Catmull > [“So I tell myself that I have time, even when I don’t. As in, ‘Okay, I’m going to proceed as if I have time—I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/so-i-tell-myself-that-i-have-time-even-when-i-don-t-as-in-okay-i-m/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“How, then, do you make failure into something people can face without fear? Part of the answer is simple: If we as leaders can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/how-then-do-you-make-failure-into-something-people-can-face-without/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Andrew Stanton says, adding that on each of his own films, he has made a point of doing this on a smaller scale, separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/andrew-stanton-says-adding-that-on-each-of-his-own-films-he-has-made/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This was a success in itself, but it came with an added and unexpected benefit: The act of thinking about the problem and responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-was-a-success-in-itself-but-it-came-with-an-added-and-unexpected/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This principle eludes most people, but it is critical: You are not your idea, and if you identify too closely with your ideas, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-principle-eludes-most-people-but-it-is-critical-you-are-not-your/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“You might say I’m an advocate for humility in leaders. But to be truly humble, those leaders must first understand how many of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/you-might-say-i-m-an-advocate-for-humility-in-leaders-but-to-be-truly/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Rejecting failure and avoiding mistakes seem like high-minded”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/rejecting-failure-and-avoiding-mistakes-seem-like-high-minded/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“The most productive creative sessions allow for the exploration of myriad trains of thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/the-most-productive-creative-sessions-allow-for-the-exploration-of/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“My rule of thumb is that any time we impose limits or procedures, we should ask how they will aid in enabling people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/my-rule-of-thumb-is-that-any-time-we-impose-limits-or-procedures-we/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Toy Story went on to become the top-grossing film of the year and would earn $358 million worldwide. But it wasn’t just the numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/toy-story-went-on-to-become-the-top-grossing-film-of-the-year-and/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“THERE IS NOTHING quite like ignorance combined with a driving need to succeed to force rapid learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/there-is-nothing-quite-like-ignorance-combined-with-a-driving-need-to/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Every morning, as I walk into Pixar Animation Studios—past the twenty-foot-high sculpture of Luxo Jr., our friendly desk lamp mascot, through the double doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/every-morning-as-i-walk-into-pixar-animation-studios-past-the-twenty/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have-2/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/i-believe-that-managers-must-loosen-the-controls-not-tighten-them/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) [Explore all 226 Ed Catmull quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) ## More Different level quotes > [If I can beat a proven champion like Canelo, that will take my career to a different level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennady-golovkin/if-i-can-beat-a-proven-champion-like-canelo-that-will-take-my-career/) [Gennady Golovkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennady-golovkin/) > [Hey, her mind is on a different level Plus the teachers couldn't reach her, always been a rebel Hit the club, watch out boy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-cole/hey-her-mind-is-on-a-different-level-plus-the-teachers-couldn-t-reach/) [Kendrick Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-cole/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Crime in multi-storey car parks. That is wrong on so many different levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-vine/crime-in-multi-storey-car-parks-that-is-wrong-on-so-many-different/) [Tim Vine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-vine/) > [Losing friends is common when your're on a different level than they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-friends-is-common-when-your-re-on-a-different-level-than-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You have to make that stand out from the rest of the three hours. There are times when I'm having fun and being loose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/you-have-to-make-that-stand-out-from-the-rest-of-the-three-hours/) [Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/) > [But the manager's bought wisely - the players who've come in have taken us on to a different level and the players who won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-sheringham/but-the-manager-s-bought-wisely-the-players-who-ve-come-in-have-taken/) [Teddy Sheringham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-sheringham/) > [The film The Conquest will be seen on many different levels and the American point of view is always more technical. The French are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavier-durringer/the-film-the-conquest-will-be-seen-on-many-different-levels-and-the/) [Xavier Durringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavier-durringer/) > [Even in Heaven, the most perfect City in the World, there are going to be different levels, different classes, different stages, some very high,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/even-in-heaven-the-most-perfect-city-in-the-world-there-are-going-to/) [David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/) > [When you are younger, you pretend to believe, but you are proving it to everyone and to yourself. The change comes when you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/when-you-are-younger-you-pretend-to-believe-but-you-are-proving-it-to/) [Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/) > [Afghanistan had collapsed and everyone's life now lies broken at different levels within the rubble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/afghanistan-had-collapsed-and-everyone-s-life-now-lies-broken-at/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [My view of the afterlife is that it's made of different levels, depending on how spiritual a life we live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edward/my-view-of-the-afterlife-is-that-it-s-made-of-different-levels/) [John Edward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edward/) > [“One of my principal theses is that in every case the nature of a being (contingent as well as essential nature) can, in principle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-scheler/one-of-my-principal-theses-is-that-in-every-case-the-nature-of-a/) [Max Scheler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-scheler/) > [You want success on different levels. I wouldn't be honest if I said I don't look over there in the pop world and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hamilton/you-want-success-on-different-levels-i-wouldn-t-be-honest-if-i-said-i/) [Anthony Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hamilton/) > [There are some passionate fan bases in the NHL and Canada is a different level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-gaudreau/there-are-some-passionate-fan-bases-in-the-nhl-and-canada-is-a/) [Johnny Gaudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-gaudreau/) [Browse all 406 Different level quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-level/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To be honest, I was uneasy about Steve. He had a forceful personality, whereas I do not, and I felt threatened by him. For all of my talk about the importance of surrounding myself with people smarter than myself, his intensity was at such a different level, I didn’t know how to interpret it. It put me in the mind of an ad campaign that the Maxell cassette tape company released around this time, featuring what would become an iconic image: a guy sitting low in a leather-and-chrome Le Corbusier chair, his long hair being literally blown back by the sound from the stereophonic speaker in front of him. That’s what it was like to be with Steve. He was the speaker. Everyone else was the guy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ed Catmull" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he-had-a-forceful-personality/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Different level" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he-had-a-forceful-personality/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ed-catmull-1553_different-level_to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he_2405722.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ed-catmull-1553_different-level_to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he_2405722.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ed-catmull-1553_different-level_to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he_2405722.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be honest, I was uneasy about Steve. He had a forceful personality, whereas I do not, and I felt…” — Ed Catmull", "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": "Ed Catmull", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To be honest, I was uneasy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he-had-a-forceful-personality/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/to-be-honest-i-was-uneasy-about-steve-he-had-a-forceful-personality/#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 } } ] } ```