The key is not the will to win... everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.
Interpretation
Success comes from preparation, not just the desire to win.
This quote emphasizes that while everyone may have the desire to win, it is the commitment to preparation and hard work that truly leads to success. It's a reminder that behind every achievement lies a systematic approach and diligent effort, rather than mere intention or desire.
In practice
In a motivational speech to a sports team before a big game.
My dad was a very quiet person, and unbelievably tough. But my grandmother gave me my first look at negative thinking to bring about positive results. When I was just a little guy, anytime I came to my grandmother and said I wish for this or that, Grandma would say, 'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.'
Your biggest opponent isn't the other guy. It's human nature.
People want national championship banners. People want to talk about Indiana being competitive. How do we get there? We don't get there with milk and cookies.
When we're playing a good scoring center, we tell our team that it is not our defensive man's job to stop the center. It's the responsibility of our perimeter people to stop the ball from going inside.
Failure, to me, is not having the desire to try. Having the desire to try is in it own way success.
I'm not sure that an athlete is prepared to be a role model. He has a lot of attention paid to him that he shouldn't have, and then the athletes tend to think of themselves as better than they are.
It's easier to stand on the sidelines, criticize, and say why you shouldn't do something. The sidelines are crowded. Get in the game.
You don't just become number one because you sing like everybody else. There is something different you bring to the table. Make sure you are constantly getting into the newest technologies. Learn the history of what you do, and always respect the ones who came before you.
People often say motivation doesn't last. But neither does bathing. That's why we recommend it daily.
You truly have to make the very best of what you've got. We all do.
I'm tough on myself in terms of the standards I want to live up to, but that's also part of my pleasure: Knowing you are being your fullest self. Being your fullest self is a lot of work.
I play knowing that there is somebody watching me out there in the crowd that has never had the opportunity to watch a game before and it might be the only chance they ever to see one, live in person. Michael Jordan once said that in an interview, and I really took it to heart; whenever I step on the floor, I play for that person.
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