--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I said couldn't we be more moderate?…" description: "\"And I said couldn't we be more moderate? And he said why? And I said because I care about the team. And he said, 'No Jony, you're just really vain. You..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jonathan-ive-3015_because-i-care_and-i-said-couldn-t-we-be-more-moderate_119946.jpg" --- # And I said couldn't we be more moderate? And he said why?… ![“And I said couldn't we be more moderate? And he said why? And I said because I care about the team. And he said, 'No Jony, you're just really vain. You just want people to like you. I'm surprised at you, because I thought you really held the work up as the most important and not how you are…” quote by Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jonathan-ive-3015_because-i-care_and-i-said-couldn-t-we-be-more-moderate_119946.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jonathan-ive-3015_because-i-care_and-i-said-couldn-t-we-be-more-moderate_119946.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jonathan-ive-3015_because-i-care_and-i-said-couldn-t-we-be-more-moderate_119946.jpg) > “And I said couldn't we be more moderate? And he said why? And I said because I care about the team. And he said, 'No Jony, you're just really vain. You just want people to like you. I'm surprised at you, because I thought you really held the work up as the most important and not how you are perceived by people.' People misunderstand Steve because he was so focused.” [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker defends his focus on teamwork, countering accusations of vanity and image‑obsession. **In simple terms:** I care about the team, not my image. Key Takeaway Team focus vs perceived vanity. Themes leadership teamwork perception Mood defensive assertive Type defensive statement leadership insight When to use this quote - design reviews - corporate meetings - public interviews Key Concepts ego management communication dynamics Practical Applications - clarify motivations publicly - highlight collective achievements Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders balance humility with necessary self‑promotion? - When does concern for perception become a distraction? A Different Perspective May overlook legitimate concerns about personal branding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) ## Related quotes > [“We don’t do focus groups—that is the job of the designer,” said Jony. “It’s unfair to ask people who don’t have a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leander-kahney/we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job-of-the-designer-said-jony-it/) [Leander Kahney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leander-kahney/) > [“I worry about you. Not just about your safety. I worry when you’re stressed. I worry when you’re unhappy.” His words leveled her world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-a-bardan/i-worry-about-you-not-just-about-your-safety-i-worry-when-you-re/) Amber A. Bardan > [I would never lie to you because I care about you too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-never-lie-to-you-because-i-care-about-you-too-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like when I feel I'm hurting someone it bothers me :( because I care I'm not like other girls I can promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-hood/i-don-t-like-when-i-feel-i-m-hurting-someone-it-bothers-me-because-i/) [Courtney Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-hood/) > [Whatever I believe here and whatever you think I'm advocating, it's not because I care what happens to the Republican Party. I care about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/whatever-i-believe-here-and-whatever-you-think-i-m-advocating-it-s/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Yeah, okay, I might’ve overreacted, but it’s just because I care about you. You’re my sister and I’m supposed to act like a douche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/yeah-okay-i-might-ve-overreacted-but-it-s-just-because-i-care-about/) [J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/) > [“I'm a conservative but not because I care very much about the marginal tax rates of the richest Americans, rather I'm a market-oriented localist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sasse/i-m-a-conservative-but-not-because-i-care-very-much-about-the/) [Ben Sasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sasse/) > [I fight against racism and bigotry because I care about the people who are experiencing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/i-fight-against-racism-and-bigotry-because-i-care-about-the-people/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [I cry, because I care. Not because I'm weak. Not because I'm a girl. But because I care about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-cry-because-i-care-not-because-i-m-weak-not-because-i-m-a-girl-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I trip because I care...when I stop trippin' you'll care...but when I stop caring, don't trip.!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-trip-because-i-care-when-i-stop-trippin-you-ll-care-but-when-i-stop/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm tortured because I care. I'm always upset about not doing things as good as I think I could have because I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-mendes/i-m-tortured-because-i-care-i-m-always-upset-about-not-doing-things/) [Shawn Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-mendes/) > [I'm tortured because I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-mendes/i-m-tortured-because-i-care/) [Shawn Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-mendes/) > [“I could have lost you today. My partner, my lover. Someone tried to kill you. Again. So yes, baby, for two seconds I lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-reyne/i-could-have-lost-you-today-my-partner-my-lover-someone-tried-to-kill/) [Layla Reyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-reyne/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [“Phyllis, you awaken things in me,” he said suddenly. “Things I can’t allow myself to feel.” He stared at his shoes and glanced back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cash-tate/phyllis-you-awaken-things-in-me-he-said-suddenly-things-i-can-t-allow/) [Kim Cash Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cash-tate/) ## More by Jonathan Ive > [My father was a very good craftsman. He made furniture, he made silverware and he had an incredible gift in terms of how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/my-father-was-a-very-good-craftsman-he-made-furniture-he-made/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [The more I learnt about this cheeky - almost rebellious - company, the more it appealed to me, as it unapologetically pointed to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-more-i-learnt-about-this-cheeky-almost-rebellious-company-the/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [To design something really new and innovative you have to reject reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/to-design-something-really-new-and-innovative-you-have-to-reject/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [The most important thing is that you actually care, that you do something to the very best of your ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-most-important-thing-is-that-you-actually-care-that-you-do/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [We’re surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects. It’s tempting to think it’s because the people who use them don’t care-just like the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-re-surrounded-by-anonymous-poorly-made-objects-it-s-tempting-to/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [The absence of clutter is just a clutter-free product. That's not simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-absence-of-clutter-is-just-a-clutter-free-product-that-s-not/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [In our quest to quickly make three-dimensional objects, we can miss out on the experience of making something that helps give us our first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/in-our-quest-to-quickly-make-three-dimensional-objects-we-can-miss/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [A beautiful product that doesn't work very well is ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/a-beautiful-product-that-doesn-t-work-very-well-is-ugly/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer. It's unfair to ask people who don't have a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job-of-the-designer-it-s-unfair/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [I am very aware that I'm the product of growing up in England and the tradition of designing and making, of England industrialising first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/i-am-very-aware-that-i-m-the-product-of-growing-up-in-england-and-the/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [It's a very strange thing for a designer to say, but one of the things that really irritates me in products is when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/it-s-a-very-strange-thing-for-a-designer-to-say-but-one-of-the-things/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [We won't do something different for different's sake. Designers cave in to marketing, to the corporate agenda, which is sort of, 'Oh, it looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-won-t-do-something-different-for-different-s-sake-designers-cave/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [As a kid, I remember taking apart whatever I could get my hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/as-a-kid-i-remember-taking-apart-whatever-i-could-get-my-hands-on/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [I find that when I write, I need things to be quiet, but when I design, I can't bear it if it's quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/i-find-that-when-i-write-i-need-things-to-be-quiet-but-when-i-design/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [I left London in 1992, but I'm there 3-4 times a year, and love visiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/i-left-london-in-1992-but-i-m-there-3-4-times-a-year-and-love-visiting/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) [Explore all 142 Jonathan Ive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) ## More Because i care quotes > [“I worry about you. Not just about your safety. I worry when you’re stressed. I worry when you’re unhappy.” His words leveled her world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-a-bardan/i-worry-about-you-not-just-about-your-safety-i-worry-when-you-re/) Amber A. Bardan > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [“I could have lost you today. My partner, my lover. Someone tried to kill you. Again. So yes, baby, for two seconds I lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-reyne/i-could-have-lost-you-today-my-partner-my-lover-someone-tried-to-kill/) [Layla Reyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-reyne/) > [I'm tortured because I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-mendes/i-m-tortured-because-i-care/) [Shawn Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-mendes/) > [I'm tortured because I care. I'm always upset about not doing things as good as I think I could have because I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-mendes/i-m-tortured-because-i-care-i-m-always-upset-about-not-doing-things/) [Shawn Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-mendes/) > [I trip because I care...when I stop trippin' you'll care...but when I stop caring, don't trip.!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-trip-because-i-care-when-i-stop-trippin-you-ll-care-but-when-i-stop/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I cry, because I care. Not because I'm weak. Not because I'm a girl. But because I care about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-cry-because-i-care-not-because-i-m-weak-not-because-i-m-a-girl-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I fight against racism and bigotry because I care about the people who are experiencing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/i-fight-against-racism-and-bigotry-because-i-care-about-the-people/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [“I'm a conservative but not because I care very much about the marginal tax rates of the richest Americans, rather I'm a market-oriented localist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sasse/i-m-a-conservative-but-not-because-i-care-very-much-about-the/) [Ben Sasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sasse/) > [“Yeah, okay, I might’ve overreacted, but it’s just because I care about you. You’re my sister and I’m supposed to act like a douche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/yeah-okay-i-might-ve-overreacted-but-it-s-just-because-i-care-about/) [J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/) > [Whatever I believe here and whatever you think I'm advocating, it's not because I care what happens to the Republican Party. I care about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/whatever-i-believe-here-and-whatever-you-think-i-m-advocating-it-s/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't like when I feel I'm hurting someone it bothers me :( because I care I'm not like other girls I can promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-hood/i-don-t-like-when-i-feel-i-m-hurting-someone-it-bothers-me-because-i/) [Courtney Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-hood/) > [I would never lie to you because I care about you too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-never-lie-to-you-because-i-care-about-you-too-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Phyllis, you awaken things in me,” he said suddenly. “Things I can’t allow myself to feel.” He stared at his shoes and glanced back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cash-tate/phyllis-you-awaken-things-in-me-he-said-suddenly-things-i-can-t-allow/) [Kim Cash Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cash-tate/) > [“But I love her. 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