Dawn Steel Quotes

Powerful Dawn Steel for Daily Growth

About Dawn Steel

Dawn Steel, a trailblazing figure in Hollywood, was born on October 19, 1949, in New York City. Raised by her mother, Doris, a bookkeeper, and her stepfather, Murray Stein, who worked for the U.S. Postal Service, Dawn's early years were marked by a love for books and reading that would later influence her career as a successful film producer. After earning a degree in English from the University of Michigan, Steel moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in publishing. Her talent and dedication led her to become an editor at Paramount Pictures, where she worked on projects like 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. In 1980, Steel made a groundbreaking move when she was appointed as President of Columbia Pictures. During her tenure, she greenlit several successful films, including 'Ghostbusters', 'An Officer and a Gentleman', and 'Platoon'. Steel's impact on the film industry was significant, as she was one of the few women in such a high-ranking position during that time. Steel left Columbia Pictures in 1986 to form her own production company, Dawn Steel Productions. Unfortunately, her career was cut short by breast cancer, which she battled until her death on April 20, 1997. Throughout her life, Dawn Steel was a pioneer, breaking barriers in the male-dominated world of film production. Her legacy continues to inspire women in Hollywood and beyond. Notable quotes from Steel include: "I want to be the person who says 'yes', not the one who says 'no'" and "Women are more collaborative, we're less competitive. We can look at a project and see all the pieces that need to come together."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Don't be afraid to take a big swing and miss. Keep swinging and learn from your misses."

This quote by Dawn Steel emphasizes the importance of taking risks, even if failure is possible. The "big swing" symbolizes ambitious attempts or ventures. By encouraging readers not to be afraid of making mistakes, she's suggesting that one should not shy away from challenges because they carry the potential for learning and growth. The key takeaway is: Embrace risks with courage, learn from your failures, and keep improving in life and career.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." (This quote was actually by Winston Churchill, but Dawn Steel often cited it as her mantra.)

This quote emphasizes resilience and perseverance in the face of success or failure. It suggests that even though success can be temporary and failure is inevitable at some point, true success lies in the ability to maintain courage and continue moving forward, demonstrating tenacity and grit.

"The only rule in life is work hard and outwork everyone else."

This quote emphasizes the importance of dedication, effort, and perseverance in life. It suggests that the key to success lies in consistently working harder than others, demonstrating a strong work ethic and an unwavering commitment to one's goals. Essentially, it encourages individuals to give their all, striving for excellence in whatever they undertake, thereby increasing their chances of achieving significant results.

"Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear."

This quote by Dawn Steel suggests that achieving one's desires, dreams, or goals often requires facing and overcoming fear. Fear can serve as a barrier that prevents us from taking risks, trying new things, or pushing beyond our comfort zones. By acknowledging fear, confronting it, and moving forward despite it, we can access the potential for personal growth and success that lies on the other side. This quote encourages individuals to face their fears head-on and pursue their aspirations with courage and determination.

"In Hollywood, it's about the long game. You can't expect everything to happen overnight."

This quote emphasizes the importance of patience and persistence in Hollywood. It suggests that success is often not immediate or instantaneous but rather a long-term goal that requires consistent effort, dedication, and strategic planning over an extended period. The quote serves as a reminder for aspiring professionals in the industry to be mindful of their career trajectories and to maintain focus on their goals even when progress seems slow, understanding that the journey towards success may take time.

What sets Iris Stevenson apart is her success in a system that in no way supports her - with the hardest possible children to convert.

- Dawn Steel

Possible, Sets, Stevenson, Convert

Dishonesty, lack of integrity catches up with you.

- Dawn Steel

Integrity, You, Up, Dishonesty

Don't believe everything you read in the trades.

- Dawn Steel

Believe, Everything, Read, Trades

I'm not Mary Poppins, but I think I functioned with integrity.

- Dawn Steel

Integrity, Think, I Think, Mary Poppins

Historically, Vietnam movies have been profitable. All of them. 'Platoon,' 'Full Metal Jacket,' 'Apocalypse Now,' 'The Deer Hunter.' You're looking at movies that have been not pretty successful, but very successful. The foreign numbers have been extraordinary.

- Dawn Steel

Deer, Been, Very, Apocalypse

An epic is the canvas Brian DePalma paints on.

- Dawn Steel

Canvas, Epic, Brian, Paints

I have to tell you, I'm a great teacher. Ask anybody who worked for me, except some secretaries who weren't very good.

- Dawn Steel

Some, Anybody, Very, Secretaries

I just love the idea of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, whether it's the success of 'Cool Runnings,' which is the success of four guys from Jamaica who had never seen snow, or whether it's my success, just as a human being.

- Dawn Steel

Love, Doing, Idea, Jamaica

I don't know that I would say abrasive. In some ways, I was curt because there's an unbelievable amount to accomplish in a day, and maybe I was insensitive considering the pressures and responsibilities of these jobs.

- Dawn Steel

Some, Unbelievable, Amount, Pressures

I've gone far in the movie business, but no matter how far I go, every time I pick up the phone to call Tom Hanks or Robin Williams, I wonder if they'll call me back. And you know what? Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't.

- Dawn Steel

Sometimes, Movie, How Far, I Wonder

I was so busy climbing up this ladder, staying above the water. If there was only room for one woman in a room, I wanted to be her. I'm not proud of it. I certainly don't feel that way now. It was an absolute evolution for me.

- Dawn Steel

Woman, Feel, Staying, Climbing

When I get anxious and scared, I probably lose my temper more than I should.

- Dawn Steel

Temper, More, Anxious, Scared

I love stories about underdogs.

- Dawn Steel

Love, Stories, I Love, Love Stories

Visibility is dangerous because if a guy cuts you off in traffic, you can't call him a name - it might get to the press.

- Dawn Steel

Dangerous, Visibility, Might, Traffic

That's my proudest accomplishment: that I don't feel like a grown-up.

- Dawn Steel

Feel, Grown-Up, Like, Proudest

I wanted to be respected by filmmakers, and why should they respect me if they saw that my superiors did not treat me with respect.

- Dawn Steel

Treat, Why, Saw, Respected

I felt that if I shared the lessons that I learned - both the good ones and the bad ones - that I might make the climb a little less painful for other women.

- Dawn Steel

Bad, Other, Shared, Bad Ones

There's no training for the business, no credentials necessary to enter... It's all about entrepreneurs, innate street intelligence, and instincts. It's a business which encourages people with dreams. That's the essence of Hollywood.

- Dawn Steel

Hollywood, Which, Encourages, Instincts

I'd like my epitaph to read 'Given the amount of time she had, she did the best job she could.' Also that I'm a nice person... and a good mother.

- Dawn Steel

Given, Amount, Read, Nice Person

I think women's relationships with other women are very complicated and depend on their relationships with their mothers. Mine was fraught with problems. So I didn't necessarily trust women for a long time.

- Dawn Steel

Trust, Think, Mine, Women Are

Working together is the quickest road to marital problems.

- Dawn Steel

Together, Road, Working, Working Together

I was trained to be loud, passionate, direct. I didn't realize for the longest time I was intimidating.

- Dawn Steel

Loud, Longest, Trained, Intimidating

Foreign revenues are tremendously important, but foreign audiences are dying for American movies, not for films they could make themselves.

- Dawn Steel

Could, Films, Tremendously, American Movies

I don't want my child to have unhealthy values.

- Dawn Steel

Child, Values, Want, Unhealthy

The first war movie I ever saw was 'Platoon,' and I was eight months pregnant. So my husband, producer Charles Roven, wasn't sure I'd make it.

- Dawn Steel

Movie, Sure, Months, Pregnant

Having money is better than not having it, but I've been poor, and I've survived.

- Dawn Steel

Better, Been, Having, Survived

A really hard lesson to learn is that most of the time, it's not about you.

- Dawn Steel

Lesson, Learn, Most, Hard Lesson

People on the lower rungs are more vulnerable to sexual harassment than those at the top.

- Dawn Steel

Top, More, Vulnerable, Sexual

I was the first studio executive to meet with Sean Penn after 'Taps' in 1981. I was anxious to develop things with him when nobody knew who he was.

- Dawn Steel

Studio, Sean Penn, Penn, Sean

It hurt me deeply, this reputation as tough, hard, mean.

- Dawn Steel

Reputation, Me, Mean, Hurt

We manufacture a culture in the movie business, and whatever we put out creates a dark side and a bright side, too.

- Dawn Steel

Business, Movie, Side, Manufacture

If the doors are going to close on me, it's a little late.

- Dawn Steel

Late, Doors, Going, The Doors

In my family, education was something you endured. My parents weren't educated past high school, and the only book in our house was a 'Reader's Digest' condensed book. Can you imagine?

- Dawn Steel

Education, Past, Imagine, Endured

Some friends of mine had parents who made school a treat, a gift - not something to be endured.

- Dawn Steel

Gift, Some, Mine, Endured

It wasn't until I saw 'Rocky' that I realized movies could affect people beyond mere entertainment.

- Dawn Steel

Entertainment, Could, Affect, Rocky

I think exciting sexuality is part of the fantasy, part of the entertainment of a love story.

- Dawn Steel

Love, Think, I Think, Love Story

You have to persevere, you have to just not give up, and you have to know what you want. You have to be able to see your dream.

- Dawn Steel

Give, See, Persevere, Your Dream

The men I worked for didn't look at me as having any gender at all. They regarded me more as a workhorse.

- Dawn Steel

Gender, More, Having, Regarded

I felt more comfortable in TV than in the film world where the players were more erudite and intellectual.

- Dawn Steel

More, Players, TV, Intellectual

You do sequels because they are tent poles. They open well, and they hold the tent up. But in between, you make a movie you respect.

- Dawn Steel

Movie, Tent, Sequels, Poles

If you can market smut and toilet paper, you can market movies.

- Dawn Steel

Movies, Market, Paper, Toilet

Some children's music is aimed just at kids, and it can be very childlike.

- Dawn Steel

Music, Some, Very, Childlike

I had an obsession with underarm shields - pointy ones, round ones, full ones, half ones.

- Dawn Steel

Obsession, Had, Half, Round

I react to stress badly. I handle it better these days. But I'm a very straightforward person.

- Dawn Steel

Stress, Better, Badly, Handle

In some ways I was curt because there's an unbelievable amount to accomplish in a day.

- Dawn Steel

Some, Ways, Amount, Unbelievable

I would walk into my office, and I would close the door, and I would say, 'I won't cry, I won't cry, I won't cry'... At least, I wasn't going to let them see me cry.

- Dawn Steel

Door, Going, Least, Cry

It's unfathomable how you live without your mother.

- Dawn Steel

Mother, How, Your, Unfathomable

I'm tired of being the bad guy all the time, saying 'no' to people I like.

- Dawn Steel

Tired, Bad, Like, Bad Guy

I hate management. I hate management. I just do.

- Dawn Steel

Hate, Just, Management

The more I can stay on the creative side, the happier I am.

- Dawn Steel

I Am, More, Side, Happier

You're not free in life until you're free of wanting other people's approval.

- Dawn Steel

Other, Wanting, Until, Approval

It's about passion, and if somebody is passionate about a development deal, they're going to get it made.

- Dawn Steel

Development, Deal, Going, Passionate

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