In tennis, it is not the opponent you fear, it is the failure itself, knowing how near you were but just out of reach.
Andy MurrayRead
I used to think that losing made you more hungry and determined but after my success at the Olympics and the U.S. Open I realise that winning is the biggest motivation.
Interpretation
Winning can be a stronger motivator than losing.
In this quote, Andy Murray reflects on his journey as an athlete, suggesting that while the experience of losing can instill a desire to improve, it is ultimately the experience of winning that fuels a deeper motivation and ambition. His success at prestigious events like the Olympics and the U.S. Open has led him to understand that the triumphs in his career provide the strongest incentive to strive for further achievements.
In practice
During a motivational speech to young athletes, this quote can illustrate how success drives ambition.
You don't think. It's all instinct. If you stop to think, you're gone.
You have to understand how bad I wanted to be a comedian, how much I loved doing it. I still can't believe I get to do this for a living and have people come up and want to see me.
Someone should keep reminding Mr. Average Man that he was born free, divine, strong; uncrushable by fate, society, or hell itself; and that he is a child of God, equal heir to all the bounties of God; and that goodness is riches, kindness is power, and freedom is glory. Above all, every man is born with an inner capacity to take him as far as his imagination can dream or envision-providing he is free to dream and envision.
Somebody scoffed, Oh, you'll never to that - At least no one ever has done it; But he took off his coat and he took off his hat, And the first thing we knew, he'd begun it.
All of us get knocked down, but it's resiliency that really matters. All of us do well when things are going well, but the thing that distinguishes athletes is the ability to do well in times of great stress, urgency and pressure.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy
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