Anna Wintour

Every interaction had a purpose or it didn't happen.

In addressing her tough reputation much later, she would say, if one comes across sometimes as being cold or brusque, it's simply because I'm striving for the best.

Most people organize their entire lives around being liked by nearly everyone.

They don't want to offend anyone.

Outliers have the courage to be disliked.

The British girl who couldn't break through England's class ceiling was about to crack America's code.

Not by playing the game better, but by refusing to play at all.

Anna was devoted to work.

In an office, people kind of clown around and they take breaks and they gossip.

And she never did any of that.

She wasn't in it for fun and games.

She was in it to work.

While colleagues treated jobs as social clubs with deadlines, Anna treated the office like a laboratory.

Every day, impeccably dressed.

Not vanity, but strategy.

In fashion, your appearance is your argument.

Her boss, Tony Mazzulla, wanted traditional shoots, advertiser-friendly, text-heavy, safe.

Anna wanted revolution.

When they clashed, she didn't argue, at least not directly.

Instead, she would meet photographers in the lobby, select only the best shots, hide the rest.