When taking the arc of Anna Wintour’s life into consideration, this quote could be seen as both a word of advice with universal appeal and a well-worn personal mantra. That’s because, more than most, Wintour knows, and seems to have always known, exactly what she wants (and boy did people respond). And this can be explained by some of her key Human Design Gate activations.

What is a Human Design Gate?

A Human Design Gate is the point at which energy enters and exits our Human Design Centers. When a gate is activated by a certain planet, the center into which that energy flows will then hold that particular planetary energy.

Conscious Sun in Gate 44

Born a 4/6 Projector into the Personal Life Theme called The Four Directions, Anna Wintour’s conscious Sun is in Human Design Gate 44. This gives her immediate, instinctual impressions of who and what she likes, and who and what she doesn’t! And we see this play out in her lifetime and time again.

Born in London and educated at the independent North London Collegiate School, Wintour began hinting at her future right from the start. She frequently found herself on the wrong side of the dress code for taking up the hemlines of her school uniform skirts. In fact, Wintour was so crystal-clear on her vision of who she was, that even her trademark pageboy bob hairstyle was apparently written in the stars. After falling in love with the 1960’s clothing, culture, and style she absorbed from her favorite television show Ready Steady Go! She borrowed her now-iconic hairstyle from the show’s host, Cathy McGowan, at the age of 14 and hasn’t changed it since.

According to Wintour, one didn’t have to possess a keen eye to pick up on the new look of the cultural revolution that was unfolding around her.  “Growing up in London in the ’60s,» she said, «you’d have to have had a sack over your head not to know something extraordinary was happening in fashion.» But her eye was clearly a bit keener than most, which prompted her father—a newspaper editor looking to increase young readership—to regularly consult young Anna on the latest trends of the day.

Mars in Human Design Gate 59

Wintour also has Mars in Gate 59 with the 5th Line. This means that she can be a powerful ally if you are in her fold. But if make a misstep with her, you are going to regret it.

This helps explain her reputation as a bit of a shark when it comes to her work and vision. This is exemplified by the Wintour-based novel and movie The Devil Wears Prada, written by Wintour’s own former personal assistant.

While working at her first job as an editorial assistant for Harper’s & Queen Magazine, she reportedly told her co-workers that she wanted to edit Vogue. Years later, while interviewing for her first job at Vogue, she told the then editor-in-chief, Grace Mirabella, that she was coming for her job. According to Mirabella, Wintour was dogged in the pursuit of her ultimate goal. «She’d go behind my back and redo layouts…circumvent me and my fashion editors.» Mirabella said, «When she couldn’t bypass my editors, she’d harass and criticize them.»

She took over as Vogue Magazine’s editor-in-chief in 1988 and has since cemented herself as one of the icons of her industry. Through phase after phase, trend after trend, she has managed to keep her finger on the pulse of the mercurial world of fashion. By all accounts, she is shy in person, but she has never been shy about what she wants, and she has certainly never had any hesitation about doing whatever it takes to get it.

If you would like insight on your own Human Design Gates and planetary activations (and so much more!) get your free Human Design Report today.