For myself, losing is not coming second. It's getting out of the water knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I've been in
Interpretation
True success comes from self-reflection and improvement rather than just winning.
In this quote, Ian Thorpe expresses that for him, losing is not merely about finishing in second place but rather about the disappointment of knowing that he could have performed better. This perspective emphasizes personal growth and the importance of self-evaluation, suggesting that the greatest victories are those in which one strives for their best potential, regardless of external results.
In practice
During a motivational speech, someone can share this quote to encourage athletes to focus on their personal journey rather than just the outcome.
When I go out and race, I'm not trying to beat opponents, I'm trying to beat what I have done ... to beat myself, basically. People find that hard to believe because we've had such a bias to always strive to win things. If you win something and you haven't put everything into it, you haven't actually achieved anything at all. When you've had to work hard for something and you've got the best you can out of yourself on that given day, that's where you get satisfaction from.
The only thing is I am a little bit ashamed of is I didn't come out earlier, that I didn't have the strength to do it, the courage to break that lie. But everyone goes on their own path to do this, and I don't want the struggle to be so hard for other people.
Being criticized in the media is a good problem to have - most of the time. It means you're doing something that is at least interesting or cool or crazy enough to be noticed. It might not always feel good, but it's usually better than the alternative of obscurity.
The most important secret of salesmanship is to find out what the other fellow wants, then help him find the best way to get it
I told you all I was going to be No. 1, and I did just that.
Writing careers are short. For every 100 writers, 99 never get published. Of those who do, only one in every hundred gets a career out of it, so I count myself as immensely privileged.
If you want to make money playing poker, find a game with a few suckers, fish, donkeys, live ones, or whatever you choose to call a bad player. Just don't let that sucker be you.
I never considered my dreams wasted energy; they were invariably linked to some form of action. When I dreamed about having a lemonade stand, for example, it wasn't long before I set up a lemonade stand.
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