The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else.
Interpretation
Success is measured solely by achievements and championships in society.
This quote by John Madden emphasizes that societal standards define success predominantly through titles and victories. Achievements like championships overshadow other forms of accomplishment, suggesting that the recognition of one's efforts is often tied to winning and being recognized as a 'champion'.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about striving for greatness in sports.
Since 1981, I've spent every Thanksgiving Day broadcasting a game, and it is one of my favorite days. You can say, 'Woe is me, I never get to be part of the tradition,' or you can say, 'Heck, we've got our own tradition, and it's pretty good.'
Sometimes you can be one of the best, but you don't accept that if you don't get the ring or win the Super Bowl. There's a lot of good teams between the Super Bowl winner and other teams. Once the Super Bowl is over, we lump everyone into the other 31, and that's not fair.
Coaches have to watch for what they don't want to see and listen to what they don't want to hear.
Any defensive coordinator is worried about two things: a running quarterback and a deep ball. You know, don't get beat deep and don't let the quarterback run, because a big part of your defense can't account for the quarterback as a runner, so he gets a free run.
Nobody, not even the head coach, would do anything to the football unilaterally, such as adjust the amount of pressure in a ball, without the quarterback not knowing. It would have to be the quarterback's idea.
I was an old tackle riding around talking to people about sports. Like I've said to a lot of people over the years, 'I only go where old tackles go, and if an old tackle does not belong there, I'm not going.'
It is the combination of reasonable talent and the ability to keep going in the face of defeat that leads to success.
The satisfaction to be derived from success in a great constructive enterprise is one of the most massive that life has to offer.
When you prohibit failure, you kill innovation. If you kill innovation in fundraising, you can't raise more revenue. If you can't raise more revenue, you can't grow. And if you can't grow, you can't possibly solve large social problems.
Mentally, the only players who survive in the pros are the ones able to manage all their responsibilities. Everybody struggles in different ways.
When someone asks, 'Does success make you into a monster?' I always say, 'No, it enables you to be a monster.'
People refuse to take chances in business, because they fear the criticism which may follow if they fail. The fear of criticism, in such cases is stronger than the DESIRE for success.
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