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.'
Wearing down seven number two pencils is a good day's work.
If you work just for money, you'll never make it, but if you love what you're doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.
Ideas are cheap. Ideas are easy. Ideas are common. Everybody has ideas. Ideas are highly, highly overvalued. Execution is all that matters.
This is a perverse thing, personally, but I would rather be in the cycle where people are underestimating us. It gives us latitude to go out and make big bets that excite and amaze people.
Obedience brings success; exact obedience brings miracles.
I never judge myself according to the expectations of others. I judge myself by the jobs I've been given over the years and by the extent to which I succeeded in those jobs.
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