Why Does Michael Moritz Still Struggle to Feel Proud?

Michael Moritz says he has never felt he is really good at something, and he rejects false modesty as the explanation. He has a very difficult time celebrating success and calls that a failure on his part. He traces it to his mother, who always felt disaster was around the corner and doom was around the corner. He describes the result as being one step from the precipice.

He says a piece of work never feels finished. Everything could be improved, none of it has been perfect, and there is never a satisfied moment. Painting can show a road of improvement against what he could do 10 or 15 years earlier, until a visit to MoMA or the Met reduces him to an insignificant speck.

Asked about pride in people he backed or wrote about, including Alex Ferguson, he says no. The relationship is different, and the work was a voyage of curiosity. The people who did the work should feel proud of their accomplishments, not him as a bystander.