--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best thing ever to happen to Steve is…" description: "\"“The best thing ever to happen to Steve is when we fired him, told him to get lost,”\" — Walter Isaacson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/walter-isaacson-384_fired_the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-i_380646.png" --- # The best thing ever to happen to Steve is when we fired… ![“The best thing ever to happen to Steve is when we fired him, told him to get lost,” quote by Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/walter-isaacson-384_fired_the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-i_380646.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/walter-isaacson-384_fired_the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-i_380646.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/walter-isaacson-384_fired_the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-i_380646.png) > ““The best thing ever to happen to Steve is when we fired him, told him to get lost,”” [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tough dismissal can become a catalyst for personal growth and future success. **In simple terms:** Being fired can spark new opportunities. Key Takeaway Embrace setbacks as chances to reinvent. Themes career resilience reinvention Mood reflective determined hopeful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - job loss - career pivot - entrepreneurship - personal development Key Concepts psychology motivation selfefficacy Questions to Reflect On - What can you learn from a painful termination? - How might you turn a setback into a breakthrough? A Different Perspective Not all term lead to positive change; support may be needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“The best thing ever to happen to Steve is when we fired him, told him to get lost,” Arthur Rock later said. The theory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-is-when-we-fired-him-told-him-2/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [The first boss to give me a shot on-air left the station not long after I started reporting. The next boss fired me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-bream/the-first-boss-to-give-me-a-shot-on-air-left-the-station-not-long/) [Shannon Bream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-bream/) > [“Elizabeth lifted her head and glared at him. “I don’t want you to take me home. You’re fired.” “So you told me. I’m taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaci-burton/elizabeth-lifted-her-head-and-glared-at-him-i-don-t-want-you-to-take/) [Jaci Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaci-burton/) > [“I told him I had once lost everything I had, too, and that I think that can be God’s way of building walls around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-novosel/i-told-him-i-had-once-lost-everything-i-had-too-and-that-i-think-that/) [Kimberly Novosel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-novosel/) > [You're wrong," I told her. "I lost that faith a long time ago." She looked at me as I said this, an expression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-re-wrong-i-told-her-i-lost-that-faith-a-long-time-ago-she-looked/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [That first shrink I saw when I got back to Clayton Falls told me no one is a lost cause, but I think that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chevy-stevens/that-first-shrink-i-saw-when-i-got-back-to-clayton-falls-told-me-no/) [Chevy Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chevy-stevens/) > [“I thought I told you to get lost.'... 'And I don't ever want to see you again-- got it?' It was not that Ruslan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgi-vladimov/i-thought-i-told-you-to-get-lost-and-i-don-t-ever-want-to-see-you/) [Georgi Vladimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgi-vladimov/) > [I told you that you lost me but I was never really found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-told-you-that-you-lost-me-but-i-was-never-really-found/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I’m not in the Scouts anymore,” I remind her. Mr. Moody our scoutmaster told me to get lost, so I did, and it took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-her-mr-moody-our-scoutmaster/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [We lost because we told ourselves we lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/we-lost-because-we-told-ourselves-we-lost/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“had just fired somebody that day, and I imagined what it was like for that person to tell his family”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-imagined-what-it-was-like-for/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [Basically, Pizza Hut just backed out on the ad agency at the last minute. They got fired and we got fired. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-ween/basically-pizza-hut-just-backed-out-on-the-ad-agency-at-the-last/) [Gene Ween](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-ween/) > [In my real life, hard work, doing my job, working well with others and finding solutions without drama has never gotten me fired before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-gosselin/in-my-real-life-hard-work-doing-my-job-working-well-with-others-and/) [Kate Gosselin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-gosselin/) > [“It's no accident that in a bureaucracy getting fired is called 'termination,' as in ontological erasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-s-no-accident-that-in-a-bureaucracy-getting-fired-is-called/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) ## More by Walter Isaacson > [“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [He had the attitude that he could do anything, and therefore so can you. He put his life in my hands. So that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-had-the-attitude-that-he-could-do-anything-and-therefore-so-can/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [But the point is to get a whole new generation of people and people in general more re-engaged in news, and this has happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/but-the-point-is-to-get-a-whole-new-generation-of-people-and-people/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“There was never a good knife made of bad steel ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-never-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Jobs's intensity was also evident in his ability to focus. He would set priorities, aim his laser attention on them, and filter out distractions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/jobs-s-intensity-was-also-evident-in-his-ability-to-focus-he-would/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Atop the brochure McKenna put a maxim, often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, that would become the defining precept of Jobs’s design philosophy: “Simplicity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/atop-the-brochure-mckenna-put-a-maxim-often-attributed-to-leonardo-da/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“The company began attracting influential new investors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-company-began-attracting-influential-new-investors/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“You have to remain critically vigilant.” Question every premise, challenge conventional wisdom, and never accept the truth of something merely because everyone else views…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/you-have-to-remain-critically-vigilant-question-every-premise/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“in 1996, bought NeXT, bringing Jobs back. BILL ATKINSON. Early Apple employee, developed graphics for the Macintosh. CHRISANN BRENNAN. Jobs’s girlfriend at Homestead High,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/in-1996-bought-next-bringing-jobs-back-bill-atkinson-early-apple/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“The last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-last-time-there-was-this-much-excitement-about-a-tablet-it-had/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/if-you-want-to-live-your-life-in-a-creative-way-as-an-artist-you-have/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“There was a key lesson for innovation: Understand which industries are symbiotic so that you can capitalize on how they will spur each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-a-key-lesson-for-innovation-understand-which-industries-are/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“CEO Gil Amelio stumbled. Ellison may have been baffled when Jobs insisted that he was not motivated by money, but it was partly true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/ceo-gil-amelio-stumbled-ellison-may-have-been-baffled-when-jobs/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Once a year Jobs took his most valuable employees on a retreat, which he called " The Top 100." They were picked based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/once-a-year-jobs-took-his-most-valuable-employees-on-a-retreat-which/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“An object will display the greatest difference of light and shade when it is seen in the strongest light. . . . But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/an-object-will-display-the-greatest-difference-of-light-and-shade/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) [Explore all 593 Walter Isaacson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) ## More Fired quotes > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [“It's no accident that in a bureaucracy getting fired is called 'termination,' as in ontological erasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-s-no-accident-that-in-a-bureaucracy-getting-fired-is-called/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [In my real life, hard work, doing my job, working well with others and finding solutions without drama has never gotten me fired before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-gosselin/in-my-real-life-hard-work-doing-my-job-working-well-with-others-and/) [Kate Gosselin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-gosselin/) > [Basically, Pizza Hut just backed out on the ad agency at the last minute. They got fired and we got fired. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-ween/basically-pizza-hut-just-backed-out-on-the-ad-agency-at-the-last/) [Gene Ween](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-ween/) > [They'll totally hire me if I say I got fired from my job on the Hill because of a sex scandal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-cutler/they-ll-totally-hire-me-if-i-say-i-got-fired-from-my-job-on-the-hill/) [Jessica Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-cutler/) > [“If you get fired from your job, that’s outside your control, so you shouldn’t be personally invested in your job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/if-you-get-fired-from-your-job-that-s-outside-your-control-so-you/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [When I got fired, I had a feeling of loss because Viacom had been a passionate long-term relationship. But I got my balance back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-freston/when-i-got-fired-i-had-a-feeling-of-loss-because-viacom-had-been-a/) [Tom Freston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-freston/) > [I have to thank the guy who fired me because he was also the guy who hired me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-savard/i-have-to-thank-the-guy-who-fired-me-because-he-was-also-the-guy-who/) Serge Savard > [We've all had someone break our hearts or have been fired from a job or have been cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-sestero/we-ve-all-had-someone-break-our-hearts-or-have-been-fired-from-a-job/) [Greg Sestero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-sestero/) > [My life is my business and you're fired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/my-life-is-my-business-and-you-re-fired/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [When I fire, I just look at them and I say, 'You're fired.' I don't prolong it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-harrison/when-i-fire-i-just-look-at-them-and-i-say-you-re-fired-i-don-t/) [Corey Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-harrison/) > [Michael Vick on Andy Reid being fired: 'It's a dog eat dog world out there.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/michael-vick-on-andy-reid-being-fired-it-s-a-dog-eat-dog-world-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you've got to get fired, it's really fabulous to get fired with a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorja-fox/if-you-ve-got-to-get-fired-it-s-really-fabulous-to-get-fired-with-a/) [Jorja Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorja-fox/) > [“Shortly before I was fired, the company at the Desoto Solar Farm emailed me the legally required OSHA signs to install in my office.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/shortly-before-i-was-fired-the-company-at-the-desoto-solar-farm/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [There has never been a master plan. Anyone who wanted to do it, we fired because it takes on a life of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/there-has-never-been-a-master-plan-anyone-who-wanted-to-do-it-we/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) Browse all 514 Fired quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The best thing ever to happen to Steve is when we fired him, told him to get lost,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Isaacson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-is-when-we-fired-him-told-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fired" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-is-when-we-fired-him-told-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/walter-isaacson-384_fired_the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-i_380646.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/walter-isaacson-384_fired_the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-i_380646.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/walter-isaacson-384_fired_the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-i_380646.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The best thing ever to happen to Steve is when we fired him, told him to get lost,” — Walter Isaacson", "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": "Walter Isaacson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The best thing ever to happen...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-is-when-we-fired-him-told-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-is-when-we-fired-him-told-him/#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 } } ] } ```