--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I love picking people. I started…" description: "\"I love picking people. I started Blackstone, and we had no people, and now we have with our portfolio companies about 750,000 people all over the world..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/stephen-a-schwarzman-6794_i-love_i-love-picking-people-i-started-blacksto_1033386.jpg" --- # I love picking people. I started Blackstone, and we had no… ![“I love picking people. I started Blackstone, and we had no people, and now we have with our portfolio companies about 750,000 people all over the world. Everybody who is at a senior level has ultimately been picked by me.” quote by Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/stephen-a-schwarzman-6794_i-love_i-love-picking-people-i-started-blacksto_1033386.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/stephen-a-schwarzman-6794_i-love_i-love-picking-people-i-started-blacksto_1033386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/stephen-a-schwarzman-6794_i-love_i-love-picking-people-i-started-blacksto_1033386.jpg) > “I love picking people. I started Blackstone, and we had no people, and now we have with our portfolio companies about 750,000 people all over the world. Everybody who is at a senior level has ultimately been picked by me.” [Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes building a massive network of people across portfolio companies, emphasizing selective recruitment and influence. **In simple terms:** He built a large network by picking senior talent. Key Takeaway Cultivate and mentor talent strategically. Themes leadership networking growth Mood strategic assertive Type business leadership When to use this quote - corporate expansion - venture building - talent acquisition Key Concepts human capital strategic hiring Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure diverse perspectives? - What criteria define “senior level” for you? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on personal selection may overlook diversity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not good at picking people up, I'd rather just get to know someone. I'm not an 'opening line' kind of guy; it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-m-not-good-at-picking-people-up-i-d-rather-just-get-to-know-someone/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [I definitely like taking the dark horse approach and picking people you should not be getting behind, and you figure out a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-mcbride/i-definitely-like-taking-the-dark-horse-approach-and-picking-people/) [Danny McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-mcbride/) > [Six months of looking for a job had made me an expert at picking out the people who, like me, were hurrying up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-naylor/six-months-of-looking-for-a-job-had-made-me-an-expert-at-picking-out/) [Gloria Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-naylor/) > [It's almost not safe to be an artist, the way everybody is randomly picking people to feud with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/busta-rhymes/it-s-almost-not-safe-to-be-an-artist-the-way-everybody-is-randomly/) [Busta Rhymes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/busta-rhymes/) > [I'm not in a rush to do anything. And I wouldn't say I pick and choose. When it comes to producers picking people for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-leblanc/i-m-not-in-a-rush-to-do-anything-and-i-wouldn-t-say-i-pick-and-choose/) [Matt LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-leblanc/) > [We're picking on people we can beat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/we-re-picking-on-people-we-can-beat/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [I'm getting good exposure because of the movies I'm picking and the people I'm working with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-jackson/i-m-getting-good-exposure-because-of-the-movies-i-m-picking-and-the/) [Amy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-jackson/) > [You can't get it all done yourself. The best leaders are not afraid of picking people who are better than they are and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/you-can-t-get-it-all-done-yourself-the-best-leaders-are-not-afraid-of/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Picking on people half your size don't make you tough it makes them tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/picking-on-people-half-your-size-don-t-make-you-tough-it-makes-them/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [When I first came into the England one-day side and joined the selectors, I wanted to move away from picking what some people called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nasser-hussain/when-i-first-came-into-the-england-one-day-side-and-joined-the/) [Nasser Hussain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nasser-hussain/) > [Picking other people's brains is an art worth cultivating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/picking-other-people-s-brains-is-an-art-worth-cultivating/) [Jessica Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mitford/) > [From every little territory I've been, I've picked something up, things that I could use to better my game, to take with me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-babel/from-every-little-territory-i-ve-been-i-ve-picked-something-up-things/) [Ryan Babel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-babel/) > [“I’ve picked a side,” she said darkly. “And everyone’s on it. And that’s exactly who I’m going to save.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-wells/i-ve-picked-a-side-she-said-darkly-and-everyone-s-on-it-and-that-s/) [Dan Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-wells/) > [It's important to know how much I'll play and how much the club trusts me, that's why I picked Juventus because they told me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/it-s-important-to-know-how-much-i-ll-play-and-how-much-the-club/) [Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/) > [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) ## More by Stephen A. 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Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) > [I can't micromanage what anybody pays or doesn't pay. But the concept that half of the public isn't involved with the income-tax system is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/i-can-t-micromanage-what-anybody-pays-or-doesn-t-pay-but-the-concept/) [Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) > [Ironically, when a bunch of very smart people are sitting around a table for hours trying to figure out whether they should do something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/ironically-when-a-bunch-of-very-smart-people-are-sitting-around-a/) [Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) > [Every day should be a good day. People fool themselves that they'll be here forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/every-day-should-be-a-good-day-people-fool-themselves-that-they-ll-be/) [Stephen A. 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