Success Quote by George Steinbrenner

Power, in Steinbrenner-world, isn’t a trait so much as a weather system: it rolls in, knocks things over, then gets described afterward as “toughness.” The line reads like a self-portrait with the rough edges left in on purpose. “I am tough” is a brand claim, the kind a corporate titan and famously interventionist Yankees owner would need to justify constant pressure, public firings, and a win-at-all-costs culture. Tough becomes a moral alibi: if results are the religion, then harshness is merely discipline.

The real work happens in the next sentence. “Sometimes I’m unreasonable” pretends at confession while quietly normalizing the behavior. He doesn’t name who gets hurt by “unreasonable,” or what it costs a workplace to orbit a volatile boss. It’s contrition without surrender: the admission is calibrated to seem human, not accountable.

Then comes the intriguing pivot: “I have to catch myself every once in a while.” That’s a management philosophy disguised as self-help. The phrase implies he’s in motion, always pushing, and the only fix is an occasional internal brake-check. It’s also a subtle assertion of control: he’s not out of control, he’s self-regulating. In the context of late-20th-century American capitalism and sports as a proxy battleground for status, Steinbrenner is performing a familiar role: the demanding patriarch who frames his excesses as the price of excellence, and his self-awareness as proof he’s not the villain, just “driven.”