Alan Schaaf Quotes

Powerful Alan Schaaf for Daily Growth

About Alan Schaaf

Alan Schaaf (1983-Present) is an American illustrator, animator, and author, best known for creating the popular webcomic "Smite" and its subsequent graphic novel adaptations. Born on March 20th, 1983, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Schaaf developed a love for art at a young age. He honed his skills through self-teaching, experimenting with various mediums, and absorbing inspiration from cartoons, comic books, and video games. Schaaf attended the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), where he focused on graphic design. However, it was during his time at university that Schaaf created "Smite," a webcomic about ancient Greek gods living in modern times, which would later catapult him into the limelight. "Smite" quickly gained popularity online, and in 2012, Schaaf decided to compile the comic strips into a graphic novel. The first volume, "Smite: The Lightning Thief," was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2013, with subsequent volumes following over the years. Schaaf's work has been praised for its wit, humor, and intricate illustrations. His style is reminiscent of classic comic artists while still maintaining a modern feel. Schaaf's influences are diverse, ranging from Jim Lee to Pablo Picasso, reflecting in his versatile and eclectic body of work. In addition to "Smite," Schaaf has worked as a freelance illustrator for various clients, including DC Comics, Marvel Entertainment, and Lucasfilm Ltd. He continues to create new works, expanding the world of "Smite" while exploring new themes and styles. Alan Schaaf's unique blend of humor, artistry, and storytelling has cemented his place as a prominent figure in the comic book industry.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

This quote by Alan Schaaf highlights that life often takes unexpected turns, regardless of our carefully laid plans or expectations. It serves as a reminder that while we may have goals and ambitions, it is important to remain flexible and adaptable, as the real moments and experiences in life can sometimes come from the unplanned events and detours along the way.


"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

The quote suggests that genuine, outstanding work can only be produced when one has a deep affection and passion for their task or profession. Love is not merely an emotional state but a driving force, fueling dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment towards the pursuit of excellence in one's endeavors.


"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

The quote emphasizes that taking risks is essential for success, as failure or missed opportunities (shots) are inevitable when one doesn't attempt anything at all. In other words, not trying means guaranteed failure, so it's better to take the chance, learn from potential mistakes, and grow instead.


"Believe you can and you're halfway there."

This quote suggests that self-belief is a crucial factor in achieving success or overcoming challenges. By believing in one's own abilities, one creates a strong mental foundation from which to tackle obstacles. This confidence fuels determination and persistence, thereby significantly increasing the chances of reaching one's goals. Essentially, the act of believing sets the mind on a path towards accomplishment, bringing one halfway to their desired outcome.


"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." (This quote is often attributed to Thomas Edison but it seems Alan Schaaf used it as a title for one of his paintings.)

This quote emphasizes resilience in the face of repeated failures or setbacks, suggesting instead that each attempt brings valuable learning experiences. Rather than viewing them as "failures," it encourages an attitude of continual progress and improvement, as every attempt gets us one step closer to finding a solution. In essence, the quote celebrates perseverance and the determination to keep trying until success is achieved.


When I was in high school and college, I'd always been into websites, and when you'd read about sites and the companies and people behind them, they were always in Silicon Valley. This one's in Mountain View, this one's in Palo Alto. They're all right here. I knew I wanted to move out here, whether it was to work at Google or some other company.

- Alan Schaaf

College, Behind, Here, Sites

If there is a viral video on the Internet, you know it's on YouTube. You can search for it, find it, see the view count, and then take that link and share it with whomever you want. That's what we are doing for images.

- Alan Schaaf

Doing, YouTube, Images, Whomever

Over the years, the Internet has been going down the path of becoming a more personalized experience.

- Alan Schaaf

Path, Over, Been, Personalized

I'm probably most proud of the fact that we are bootstrapped and that we are able to do not just the typical Silicon Valley startup thing. We are basically throwing away all the typical conventions of other startups.

- Alan Schaaf

Proud, Fact, Other, Startups

We want people on the Internet to go to Imgur for their viral image fix. And what's so awesome about images vs. videos is that instant gratification.

- Alan Schaaf

Want, Image, Images, Viral

We want to be like a YouTube for viral images.

- Alan Schaaf

YouTube, Like, Images, Viral

We're trying to be a content destination for viral images and to be an entertainment destination in general.

- Alan Schaaf

Trying, General, Images, Viral

We're not going the photography route. I think there is a real distinction between photos and images, and Flickr is for photos, and Instagram is for photos. You wouldn't put a filter on a meme; you'd put a filter on top of a photo that came from your camera.

- Alan Schaaf

Think, I Think, Images, Camera

My favorite interview question is, 'If you could have a superpower, what would it be?'

- Alan Schaaf

Question, Could, Would, Interview

At Imgur, we need a solid product that works on various platforms, so we're looking at iOS, Android, front end, back end, and devops.

- Alan Schaaf

Product, Solid, Works, Platforms

Imgur is a data-driven company, and our community is our most important signal. But you can't perfectly plot humans neatly into a chart. It takes someone with instincts and empathy to truly understand the community and represent them in all of the company decisions.

- Alan Schaaf

Perfectly, Neatly, Our, Signal

The successful entrepreneurs that I see have two characteristics: self-awareness and persistence. They're able to see problems in their companies through their self-awareness and be persistent enough to solve them.

- Alan Schaaf

Through, Characteristics, Self-Awareness

For millennials, being a geek is a positive thing, and we see people proudly self-identifying themselves as geeks.

- Alan Schaaf

See, Geek, Positive Thing, Geeks

GIFs work because the punch line is instantaneous. It's entirely different from almost any other form of content on the Internet, which takes time to consume.

- Alan Schaaf

Other, Which, Almost, Instantaneous

Geek culture is all about being super passionate about your interests and not afraid to express them, even if your interests are unpopular.

- Alan Schaaf

Passionate, Express, About, Unpopular

I'm the type of manager who doesn't really like the word 'manage.' Nor do I really like the word 'boss.' I like to look at myself as more as a leader.

- Alan Schaaf

Leader, Boss, Manager, Manage

We've talked with over a dozen VCs and angel investors over the years. But we've never clicked with any of them until Andreessen. During our initial meeting, we were bouncing ideas around about where Imgur could go.

- Alan Schaaf

Angel, Dozen, About, Clicked

Imgur has always been profitable right from the very beginning, and the only time I ever had to spend money on it was for the initial domain name because as soon as I released it, people liked it so much that they were donating, and so Imgur survived for the first six months just purely on donations.

- Alan Schaaf

Been, Very, Purely, Only Time

Not only do Imgurians get the opportunity to find the content that they love but also serve up their favorite content to others who visit their profiles.

- Alan Schaaf

Love, Opportunity, Also, Profiles

I ran a profitable boostrapped company for five years, then raised $40 million from Andreessen Horowitz.

- Alan Schaaf

Raised, Profitable, Then, Ran

Entrepreneurship, to me, means that you're a psychopath. The world doesn't work in the way you want it to, and you have a vision for how it should work. Unlike everyone else, this isn't OK with you. You have to go out, against every possible odd, and do something about it. That's what makes you crazy.

- Alan Schaaf

Against, Out, About, OK

People come home from work, and they just want to unwind.

- Alan Schaaf

Work, Want, Come, Unwind

One of my favorite sci-fi books is 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card. I would recommend it to anyone who loves sci-fi. It's a perfect intro to sci-fi.

- Alan Schaaf

Game, Perfect, Loves, Card

Let's get real: the .GIF format is outdated and is not really that great for the modern web anymore. It was created in 1989, and it wasn't even created for the purpose of animation.

- Alan Schaaf

Purpose, Created, Format, Animation

The Imgur community, as a whole, is generally a lot more positive and a lot more funny than other communities.

- Alan Schaaf

More, Other, Lot, Communities

The reason I want to be able to teleport is that I don't like waiting around. It's one of my pet peeves. I also don't like traveling, because I don't like sitting on a plane for six hours, doing nothing, essentially wasting time. You know what would be awesome? Bam, I'm in New York.

- Alan Schaaf

Reason, Wasting, Plane, Sitting

Imgurians increasingly live on their mobile devices, and we wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to browse and discuss Imgur's content wherever and whenever they want.

- Alan Schaaf

Want, Devices, Increasingly, Discuss

When we first started growing our employees, I was scared. I would often think, 'If we had more people, what would they do? Is there really enough work?'

- Alan Schaaf

Think, More, More People, Scared

In many ways, products are a reflection of their founders, and I consider myself a geek. But aside from that, Imgur just organically evolved into the epicenter of geek culture.

- Alan Schaaf

Reflection, Myself, Evolved, Organically

When I was a student, I was working at the technology call center, where students call in if they can't get their email to work or something. A minimum-wage kind of job.

- Alan Schaaf

Work, Kind, Student, Email

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