"It is impossible to get anything made or accomplished without stepping on some toes; enemies are inevitable when one is a doer"
About this Quote
Shearer’s line lands like a quiet corrective to the “be liked” mythology that has always shadowed ambitious women in public life. Coming from a classic Hollywood star who navigated studio politics, fan scrutiny, and the precarious optics of power, it isn’t a generic pep talk about perseverance. It’s a realism statement: achievement is messy, and the mess has names.
The phrasing does two smart things. “Stepping on some toes” softens what is essentially a warning about conflict, packaging it in polite metaphor that feels era-appropriate for a woman expected to be gracious even while competing. Then she snaps the politeness shut with “enemies are inevitable.” Not critics, not haters, enemies. That escalation acknowledges how quickly ordinary professional friction turns personal when someone, especially someone visible, refuses to stay in their assigned lane.
Subtextually, “doer” is the key word. It draws a bright line between those who act and those who judge action from a safe distance. Shearer is granting permission to stop bargaining with approval as the price of making things happen. The quote also carries a strategic edge: if enemies are inevitable, their existence becomes less a moral verdict and more a diagnostic sign that you’re exerting force on the world.
In the context of Hollywood’s machinery - where reputations were manufactured as carefully as films - Shearer is naming a truth the industry preferred to keep off-camera: progress has collateral, and sometimes the collateral is other people’s comfort.
The phrasing does two smart things. “Stepping on some toes” softens what is essentially a warning about conflict, packaging it in polite metaphor that feels era-appropriate for a woman expected to be gracious even while competing. Then she snaps the politeness shut with “enemies are inevitable.” Not critics, not haters, enemies. That escalation acknowledges how quickly ordinary professional friction turns personal when someone, especially someone visible, refuses to stay in their assigned lane.
Subtextually, “doer” is the key word. It draws a bright line between those who act and those who judge action from a safe distance. Shearer is granting permission to stop bargaining with approval as the price of making things happen. The quote also carries a strategic edge: if enemies are inevitable, their existence becomes less a moral verdict and more a diagnostic sign that you’re exerting force on the world.
In the context of Hollywood’s machinery - where reputations were manufactured as carefully as films - Shearer is naming a truth the industry preferred to keep off-camera: progress has collateral, and sometimes the collateral is other people’s comfort.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
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