--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had done some work when I was starting…" description: "\"I had done some work when I was starting in with photography on westerns, and photographing them was the greatest pleasure I had. If I was ever qualifi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/george-stevens-28512_anything_i-had-done-some-work-when-i-was-starting_2818246.jpg" --- # I had done some work when I was starting in with… ![“I had done some work when I was starting in with photography on westerns, and photographing them was the greatest pleasure I had. If I was ever qualified for anything, it would have had to do with making westerns. But as I started working on pictures with people like Katharine Hepburn, I got…” quote by George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/george-stevens-28512_anything_i-had-done-some-work-when-i-was-starting_2818246.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/george-stevens-28512_anything_i-had-done-some-work-when-i-was-starting_2818246.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/george-stevens-28512_anything_i-had-done-some-work-when-i-was-starting_2818246.jpg) > “I had done some work when I was starting in with photography on westerns, and photographing them was the greatest pleasure I had. If I was ever qualified for anything, it would have had to do with making westerns. But as I started working on pictures with people like Katharine Hepburn, I got further away from the thing I really liked to do.” [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early work in western photography defined his passion, but later prestigious projects shifted focus away from his true love. **In simple terms:** He started with westerns but moved to other subjects. Key Takeaway Identify and stay true to your core passion. Themes career artistic growth identity Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - film set - artistic decisions - career pivots Key Concepts Passion vs. opportunity creative evolution Questions to Reflect On - What compromises have you made for success? - Can you return to your original passion? A Different Perspective Success can dilute original creative drive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Photographing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographing/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake-of-looking-down-your-nose-at/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [I remember when I did Little Women, I didn't watch the Katharine Hepburn one over and over, which I thought I would do. Heathers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-remember-when-i-did-little-women-i-didn-t-watch-the-katharine/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [“@mink: Guess what I got in the mail today? A brand-new copy of The Philadelphia Story. @alex: Nice! Love that movie. We should watch that together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-bennett/mink-guess-what-i-got-in-the-mail-today-a-brand-new-copy-of-the/) [Jenn Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-bennett/) > [Here's what's interesting about Katharine Hepburn: she was born a girl but identified as a boy, so she shaved her head and rechristened herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-mann/here-s-what-s-interesting-about-katharine-hepburn-she-was-born-a-girl/) [William J. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-mann/) > [As the tide of feminism that crested two decades ago recedes and the old advance-and-retreat games of courtship return, "Pride & Prejudice" speaks wistfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-holden/as-the-tide-of-feminism-that-crested-two-decades-ago-recedes-and-the/) Stephen Holden > [I admire those women who really knew who they were and didn't apologize for it. Katharine Hepburn? She was ahead of her time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/i-admire-those-women-who-really-knew-who-they-were-and-didn-t/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [ \[On her work in "Keep Your Powder Dry"\] I didn't want to do it, but they said if I did it they would give… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laraine-day/on-her-work-in-keep-your-powder-dry-i-didn-t-want-to-do-it-but-they/) [Laraine Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laraine-day/) > [I loved Barbara Stanwyck and Katharine Hepburn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-loved-barbara-stanwyck-and-katharine-hepburn/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [Nothing could be taken for granted. Women who loved you tried to cut your throat, while women who didn't even know your name scrubbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/nothing-could-be-taken-for-granted-women-who-loved-you-tried-to-cut/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Who is Katharine Hepburn? It took me a long time to create that creature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/who-is-katharine-hepburn-it-took-me-a-long-time-to-create-that/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [Phoebe Wolkind Ephron cracked wise like Dorothy Parker and looked like Katharine Hepburn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/phoebe-wolkind-ephron-cracked-wise-like-dorothy-parker-and-looked/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [Nobody can imitate me. You can always see impersonations of Katharine Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. But not me. Because I've always drawn on myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-crawford/nobody-can-imitate-me-you-can-always-see-impersonations-of-katharine/) [Joan Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-crawford/) > [“Katharine Hepburn is tall—not as tall as she thinks she is, but tall.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garson-kanin/katharine-hepburn-is-tall-not-as-tall-as-she-thinks-she-is-but-tall/) [Garson Kanin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garson-kanin/) > [I watched 'Holiday' in college, and that was when I had my first fantasy of being Katharine Hepburn, standing at the top of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-watched-holiday-in-college-and-that-was-when-i-had-my-first-fantasy/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [No one ever cut Katharine Hepburn down to size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-mann/no-one-ever-cut-katharine-hepburn-down-to-size/) [William J. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-mann/) ## More by George Stevens > [I see myself capable of arrogance and brutality... That's a fierce thing, to discover within yourself that which you despise the most in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/i-see-myself-capable-of-arrogance-and-brutality-that-s-a-fierce-thing/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [I'm interested in all the new ideas, such as 3-D and widescreen, but I don't believe the technical method of presentation is the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/i-m-interested-in-all-the-new-ideas-such-as-3-d-and-widescreen-but-i/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [The audience too should be respected by being presented with a film as they remember it, and for those who have not seen it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/the-audience-too-should-be-respected-by-being-presented-with-a-film/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [When a poor man, hungry and unseeing because his eyesight is failing, grabs me and starts begging, I feel the Nazi in myself. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/when-a-poor-man-hungry-and-unseeing-because-his-eyesight-is-failing/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [I thought I might say something to newsmen that could be turned into a scandal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/i-thought-i-might-say-something-to-newsmen-that-could-be-turned-into/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [The camera is not the instrument. People are always the instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/the-camera-is-not-the-instrument-people-are-always-the-instrument/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [It's fine if you want a system that shows a boa constrictor to better advantage than a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/it-s-fine-if-you-want-a-system-that-shows-a-boa-constrictor-to-better/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [For me it's absolutely necessary to start from the very beginning. I can't think of coming and contributing something anywhere along the line other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/for-me-it-s-absolutely-necessary-to-start-from-the-very-beginning-i/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [It's like trying to be a traffic cop and write a poem at the same time. 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The sounds of the theater and the audience, their rapture when a play took over and moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/i-was-fascinated-by-all-of-it-the-sounds-of-the-theater-and-the/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [When a guest blogger can't even be bothered sharing their own post on their social networks; they're pretty much admitting 'I don't care about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/when-a-guest-blogger-can-t-even-be-bothered-sharing-their-own-post-on/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [I was on a picture for four or five days, had an opportunity to be on a set, and the assistant cameraman kept showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/i-was-on-a-picture-for-four-or-five-days-had-an-opportunity-to-be-on/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [Three takes. You're either going to get it, or you're not going to get it. There's no use persisting; it just had to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/three-takes-you-re-either-going-to-get-it-or-you-re-not-going-to-get/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [I personally like to see films that are the work of as singular a consciousness as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/i-personally-like-to-see-films-that-are-the-work-of-as-singular-a/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) > [Only the picture matters. It's what goes on the screen that counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stevens/only-the-picture-matters-it-s-what-goes-on-the-screen-that-counts/) [George Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) [Explore all 19 George Stevens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stevens/) ## More Anything quotes > [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. 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That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) > [When it really comes down to it, the job you do is more important and is more representative of who you are than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/when-it-really-comes-down-to-it-the-job-you-do-is-more-important-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [I never did drama at school. I did it for one term, when it was compulsory, and I hated it. Tennis was the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-mitchell/i-never-did-drama-at-school-i-did-it-for-one-term-when-it-was/) [Luke Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-mitchell/) > [We live in such a special time when literally anything we can think of is possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/we-live-in-such-a-special-time-when-literally-anything-we-can-think/) [Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/) > [You know, I'm from Baltimore; nobody has anything. When somebody had talent, I was hiring my uncle, my cousin, you know? Getting people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/you-know-i-m-from-baltimore-nobody-has-anything-when-somebody-had/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [I said to my agent, 'I want short, sharp, well-paid jobs because I haven't got time for anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-whitelaw/i-said-to-my-agent-i-want-short-sharp-well-paid-jobs-because-i-haven/) [Billie Whitelaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-whitelaw/) > [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/) [Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/) > [If the Bible is correct, and the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that means there were no dinosaurs, and museum curators have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shock/if-the-bible-is-correct-and-the-earth-is-only-6-000-years-old-that/) [Ron Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-shock/) > [Don't do anything drastic like getting your eyebrows tattooed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/don-t-do-anything-drastic-like-getting-your-eyebrows-tattooed/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [Whenever you define family as anything other than a man and a woman married together, you have just introduced an ethical nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/whenever-you-define-family-as-anything-other-than-a-man-and-a-woman/) [Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) Browse all 9,437 Anything quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had done some work when I was starting in with photography on westerns, and photographing them was the greatest pleasure I had. If I was ever qualified for anything, it would have had to do with making westerns. 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