The best pilots fly more than the others; that's why they're the best.
Interpretation
Excellence comes from experience and practice beyond the norm.
This quote emphasizes that the best individuals in any field attain their status through dedication and extensive practice. It highlights the importance of going above and beyond what is typically required to achieve mastery and success, suggesting that hard work and perseverance distinguish the best from the rest.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech for aspiring professionals.
I have flown in just about everything, with all kinds of pilots in all parts of the world - British, French, Pakistani, Iranian, Japanese, Chinese - and there wasn't a dime's worth of difference between any of them except for one unchanging, certain fact: the best, most skillful pilot has the most experience.
There's no such thing as a natural-born pilot.
When I was picked to fly the X-1, it was my duty to fly it, and I did.
It wasn't that the X-1 would kill you, it was the systems in the X-1 that would kill you.
All that I am ... I owe to the Air Force.
If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing.
I never took a position we were going to be a good ball club. I took the position we were going to be a winning ball club.
"And my father didn't have money for me to go to college. And at that particular time they didn't have black quarterbacks, and I don't think I could have made it in basketball, because I was only 5β² 11". So I just picked baseball."
I did envisage being this successful as a player, but not all the hysteria around it off the golf course.
I celebrate a victory when I start walking off the field. By the time I get to the locker room, I'm done.
Failure is not the opposite of success; it's part of success.
If you want to establish an international presence you can't do so from New York. You need the consecration of Paris.
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