For myself, losing is not coming second. It's getting out of the water knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I've been in
Interpretation
True success comes from self-reflection and improvement rather than just winning.
In this quote, Ian Thorpe expresses that for him, losing is not merely about finishing in second place but rather about the disappointment of knowing that he could have performed better. This perspective emphasizes personal growth and the importance of self-evaluation, suggesting that the greatest victories are those in which one strives for their best potential, regardless of external results.
In practice
During a motivational speech, someone can share this quote to encourage athletes to focus on their personal journey rather than just the outcome.
When I go out and race, I'm not trying to beat opponents, I'm trying to beat what I have done ... to beat myself, basically. People find that hard to believe because we've had such a bias to always strive to win things. If you win something and you haven't put everything into it, you haven't actually achieved anything at all. When you've had to work hard for something and you've got the best you can out of yourself on that given day, that's where you get satisfaction from.
The only thing is I am a little bit ashamed of is I didn't come out earlier, that I didn't have the strength to do it, the courage to break that lie. But everyone goes on their own path to do this, and I don't want the struggle to be so hard for other people.
As an actor I am always waiting for my luck to run out.
The mark of greatness is when everything before you is obsolete, and everything after you bears your mark.
Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.
If I bring back only one gold people are going to say it's a disappointment. But not too many of them own an Olympic gold medal so if I get one I'm going to be happy.
...ultimately it come down to, are you making or are you destroying? If you try very hard to create ways of living, create dreams of what is possible, then you win. If you don't, you may make a fortune in ten years, but you're not going to be read in twenty years, and that's that.
We shouldn't be afraid to fail- if we are not failing we are not pushing. 80% of the stuff in the studio is not going to work. If something is not good enough, stop doing it.
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