The road to the Olympics, leads to no city, no country. It goes far beyond New York or Moscow, ancient Greece or Nazi Germany. The road to the Olympics leads — in the end — to the best within us.
Jesse OwensRead
If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard. The thrill of competing carries with it the thrill of a gold medal. One wants to win to prove himself the best.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Winning requires effort and competition; without trying, one loses the opportunity for achievement.
This quote by Jesse Owens emphasizes the importance of striving for victory through competition. It conveys that merely participating without a goal to win diminishes the experience and significance of the effort, akin to holding an event in an inconsequential location. Competing not only provides a sense of challenge but also a chance to prove oneself and achieve greatness, likened to the excitement associated with winning a gold medal.
Themes
CompeteWinningEffortAchievementMotivationSuccess
In practice
Example use cases
During a sports event, one might say this quote to encourage athletes to give their best.
More from Jesse Owens
All quotes →A lifetime of training for just ten seconds.
Jesse OwensRead
In the end, it's extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more that that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together, and even if you don't win, how can you lose?
Jesse OwensRead
When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I could not ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. Now what's the difference?
Jesse OwensRead
I wanted no part of politics. And I wasn't in Berlin to compete against any one athlete. The purpose of the Olympics, anyway, was to do your best. As I'd learned long ago from Charles Riley, the only victory that counts is the one over yourself.
Jesse OwensRead
Only by God?s grace have I made it to see today and only by God?s grace will I ever see tomorrow.
Jesse OwensRead
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