Players today moan about the number of games, but when you're young, you can't play enough.
George BestRead
They'll forget all the rubbish when I've gone, and they'll remember the football. If only one person thinks I'm the best player in the world, that's good enough for me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Recognition may fade, but excellence in one's craft endures. Personal validation matters more than public perception.
In this quote, George Best reflects on the transient nature of fame and recognition, suggesting that while people might forget the negative aspects of a person's reputation, they will remember the greatness of their contributions, particularly in sports. He emphasizes that personal satisfaction and the belief in one's own abilities are far more important than the opinions of others, underscoring the value of self-appreciation over external validation.
Themes
FootballSuccessSelf-WorthExcellenceRecognition
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to young athletes about focusing on their personal goals rather than external recognition.
More from George Best
All quotes βIf I had to choose between dribbling past 5 players and scoring from 40 yards at Anfield or shagging miss world, it'd be a hard choice. Thankfully, i've done both
George BestRead
I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.
George BestRead
If you'd given me the choice of going out and beating four men and smashing a goal in from thirty yards against Liverpool or going to bed with Miss World, it would have been a difficult choice. Luckily, I had both.
George BestRead
I'm OK. Much better than on other occasions. It's true that I've made lots of mistakes but I've never tried to bother anyone. I want to stay alive, preferably in peace, without seeing every one of my mistakes in the papers, and on many occasions, even stories that are lies.
George BestRead
Drink is the only opponent I have been unable to beat.
George BestRead
Similar quotes
Becoming a 'Sir' is slightly uncomfortable at first, although it is a considerable honor. It is amazing how quickly you become accustomed to it.
Edmund HillaryRead
New products, new markets, new investors, and new ways of doing things are the lifeblood of growth. And while each innovation carries potential risk, businesses that don't innovate will eventually diminish.
Adena FriedmanRead
Let's pretend my career in music is a bell. Whether you like my music or not is up to you. But you've got to admit I rang that bell pretty hard and pretty often.
Henry RollinsRead
No great achievement is possible without persistent work.
Bertrand RussellRead
The secret of success is that it is not the absence of failure, but the absence of envy.
HerodotusRead
I grew up in a working class family where there was no health insurance. I saw first hand the fracturing of the American dream and the bitterness that comes when there is no hope and a lot of despair. So I wanted to build the company, in a sense, that my father never got a chance to work for.
Howard SchultzRead