---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wouldn't want to put myself up for…"
description: "\"I wouldn't want to put myself up for something that I didn't think I could do a good job on. I wouldn't to direct material I didn't feel I could serve,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-voss-47372_bigger_i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-som_940713.jpg"
---

#  I wouldn't want to put myself up for something that I…

![“I wouldn't want to put myself up for something that I didn't think I could do a good job on. I wouldn't to direct material I didn't feel I could serve, but I don't have anything against doing bigger pictures.” quote by Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-voss-47372_bigger_i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-som_940713.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-voss-47372_bigger_i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-som_940713.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-voss-47372_bigger_i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-som_940713.jpg)

> “I wouldn't want to put myself up for something that I didn't think I could do a good job on. I wouldn't to direct material I didn't feel I could serve, but I don't have anything against doing bigger pictures.”

[Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

## 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 avoids tasks they doubt they can perform well, yet is open to larger projects if they feel capable.

**In simple terms:** Avoid tasks you doubt you can do well, but stay open to bigger roles.

Key Takeaway

Accept challenges you feel prepared for; seek growth.

Themes

confidence self‑assessment career

Mood

cautious ambitious

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- job interviews
- project leadership
- creative direction
- team management

Key Concepts

risk management personal development

Questions to Reflect On

- What skills could you develop to expand your confidence?
- When might you stretch beyond your comfort zone?

A Different Perspective

Over‑caution may limit opportunities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bigger picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger-picture/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [It's so hard to raise money for independent films and the fact of the matter is that the bigger my star or whatever is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burns/it-s-so-hard-to-raise-money-for-independent-films-and-the-fact-of-the/)

[Edward Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burns/)

> [Yeah, well I can't see a situation where I wouldn't at least re-write as a director something I was going to direct. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/yeah-well-i-can-t-see-a-situation-where-i-wouldn-t-at-least-re-write/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

> [I've gotten to a point where I wouldn't direct someone else's material. It would only be something totally original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-parker/i-ve-gotten-to-a-point-where-i-wouldn-t-direct-someone-else-s/)

[Trey Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-parker/)

> [No, I wouldn't direct a movie, no. I couldn't. I don't have the patience for it, I don't have the people skills. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/no-i-wouldn-t-direct-a-movie-no-i-couldn-t-i-don-t-have-the-patience/)

[Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/)

> [Like many of you, I was concerned about going out into the world and doing something bigger than myself. Until someone smarter than myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/like-many-of-you-i-was-concerned-about-going-out-into-the-world-and/)

[Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/)

> [Dreams don't have deadlines. I'm thinking of doing bigger and better things and having more fun with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/dreams-don-t-have-deadlines-i-m-thinking-of-doing-bigger-and-better/)

[LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/)

> [I want to be remembered for doing something bigger than myself and making a positive impact on the world. I want to make my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-reyez/i-want-to-be-remembered-for-doing-something-bigger-than-myself-and/)

[Jessie Reyez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-reyez/)

> [All of us want to know that we are doing great things, that we are touching a lot of people, and that what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/all-of-us-want-to-know-that-we-are-doing-great-things-that-we-are/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [Don't ever tell me I can do better. You don't know how happy he makes me. &amp; Even if there was better, I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-ever-tell-me-i-can-do-better-you-don-t-know-how-happy-he-makes/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [People come up to me and say 'I wouldn't want to live if I was like you.' And I say 'Actually, my life's pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanni-grey-thompson/people-come-up-to-me-and-say-i-wouldn-t-want-to-live-if-i-was-like/)

[Tanni Grey-Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanni-grey-thompson/)

> [Who wouldn't want to practice with the No. 1 player in the world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/who-wouldn-t-want-to-practice-with-the-no-1-player-in-the-world/)

[Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/)

> [I wouldn't want to live if I did not have my work. In any case, it's good that I'm already old and personally don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-wouldn-t-want-to-live-if-i-did-not-have-my-work-in-any-case-it-s/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I like to visit L.A., but I wouldn't want to live there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/i-like-to-visit-l-a-but-i-wouldn-t-want-to-live-there/)

[Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/)

> [We wouldn't want to be like the Swiss, would we? That would be awful! We'd be rich!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/we-wouldn-t-want-to-be-like-the-swiss-would-we-that-would-be-awful-we/)

[Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/)

> [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/)

[Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/)

## More by Kurt Voss

> [I'm used to doing a lot of dolly tracks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/i-m-used-to-doing-a-lot-of-dolly-tracks/)

[Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

> [A lot of people live with no apparent means of support. I kind of envy the musicians up there. You're down here, busting your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/a-lot-of-people-live-with-no-apparent-means-of-support-i-kind-of-envy/)

[Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

> [Having been in front of the camera just a couple of times, I'm empathetic, because it's very disconcerting. Someone shuffles you off to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/having-been-in-front-of-the-camera-just-a-couple-of-times-i-m/)

[Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

> [There's something with actors in their 40s, I don't know - there's this tendency with these guys, either they're not where they wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/there-s-something-with-actors-in-their-40s-i-don-t-know-there-s-this/)

[Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

> [There's more movies now than ever, and competition for the entertainment dollar. These movies aren't recouping the way they used to. These little producers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/there-s-more-movies-now-than-ever-and-competition-for-the/)

[Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

> [I really don't know where the independent fits in anymore when twenty-five million dollar movies are considered straight-to-video fare. We're like penny postage stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/i-really-don-t-know-where-the-independent-fits-in-anymore-when-twenty/)

[Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

> [Someone comes and drags you in front of the camera, and they're already saying, "Okay, we got it. Moving on." You get one or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/someone-comes-and-drags-you-in-front-of-the-camera-and-they-re/)

[Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

[Explore all 8 Kurt Voss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

## More Bigger quotes

> [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/)

[Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/)

[Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/)

> [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [Max—you have a bigger mission than finding the flock's parents. Focus on helping the whole world, not just your friends. I held my wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/max-you-have-a-bigger-mission-than-finding-the-flock-s-parents-focus/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [Sometimes people can write really great scenes and even a great episode, but they can't see the bigger picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-night-shyamalan/sometimes-people-can-write-really-great-scenes-and-even-a-great/)

[M. Night Shyamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-night-shyamalan/)

> [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. Love is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-willis/never-be-too-busy-for-the-people-you-love-never-allow-pursuits-or/)

[Dave Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-willis/)

> [If you consider yourself a part of the culture, then finances can't allow you to be bigger than the actual art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/if-you-consider-yourself-a-part-of-the-culture-then-finances-can-t/)

[Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/)

> [If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/if-we-get-better-our-customers-will-demand-we-get-bigger/)

[S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/)

> [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [I think everyone has been annoyed at school or in their life, that's a type of bullying. So, you can take those feelings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kodi-smit-mcphee/i-think-everyone-has-been-annoyed-at-school-or-in-their-life-that-s-a/)

[Kodi Smit-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kodi-smit-mcphee/)

> [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

Browse all 3,614 Bigger quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I wouldn't want to put myself up for something that I didn't think I could do a good job on. I wouldn't to direct material I didn't feel I could serve, but I don't have anything against doing bigger pictures.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kurt Voss"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-something-that-i-didn-t-think-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bigger"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-something-that-i-didn-t-think-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-voss-47372_bigger_i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-som_940713.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-voss-47372_bigger_i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-som_940713.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-voss-47372_bigger_i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-som_940713.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I wouldn't want to put myself up for something that I didn't think I could do a good job on. I wouldn't to…” — Kurt Voss",
                "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": "Kurt Voss",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I wouldn't want to put myself...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-something-that-i-didn-t-think-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/i-wouldn-t-want-to-put-myself-up-for-something-that-i-didn-t-think-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
