In the Olympic Oath, I ask for only one thing: sporting loyalty.
Pierre De CoubertinRead
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Participation and effort matter more than victory.
This quote emphasizes the value of participation and striving for excellence over merely achieving victory. It highlights that the true spirit of competition, whether in sports or in life, lies in the effort put forth and the experiences gained, rather than just the final outcome of winning.
Themes
ParticipationEffortLifeCompetitionSpirit
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech to inspire young athletes during a sports event.
More from Pierre De Coubertin
All quotes βSuccess comprises in itself the seeds of its own decline and sport is not spared by this law.
Pierre De CoubertinRead
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.
Pierre De CoubertinRead
The day when a sportsman stops thinking above all else of the happiness in his own effort and the intoxication of the power and physical balance he derives from it, the day when he lets considerations of vanity or interest take over, on this day his ideal will die.
Pierre De CoubertinRead
May joy and good fellowship reign, and in this manner, may the Olympic Torch pursue its way through ages, increasing friendly understanding among nations, for the good of a humanity always more enthusiastic, more courageous and more pure.
Pierre De CoubertinRead
In our view the Olympic idea involves a strong physical culture supplemented on the one hand by mobility, what is so aptly called 'fair play', and on the other hand by aesthetics, that is the cultivation of what is beautiful and graceful.
Pierre De CoubertinRead
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