Failure, to me, is not having the desire to try. Having the desire to try is in it own way success.
Interpretation
Failure is not attempting something; success comes from the desire to try.
This quote by Bobby Knight emphasizes that true failure lies in lacking the motivation to attempt challenges and that the mere desire to try constitutes a form of success. It encourages a mindset where the effort and willingness to take risks are valued more highly than the final outcome, framing the journey of trying as an achievement in itself.
In practice
This quote could be shared at a motivational seminar to inspire the audience.
My dad was a very quiet person, and unbelievably tough. But my grandmother gave me my first look at negative thinking to bring about positive results. When I was just a little guy, anytime I came to my grandmother and said I wish for this or that, Grandma would say, 'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.'
Your biggest opponent isn't the other guy. It's human nature.
People want national championship banners. People want to talk about Indiana being competitive. How do we get there? We don't get there with milk and cookies.
When we're playing a good scoring center, we tell our team that it is not our defensive man's job to stop the center. It's the responsibility of our perimeter people to stop the ball from going inside.
I'm not sure that an athlete is prepared to be a role model. He has a lot of attention paid to him that he shouldn't have, and then the athletes tend to think of themselves as better than they are.
A coach should never be afraid to ask questions of anyone he could learn from.
If you only walk on sunny days you'll never reach your destination.
All motivation is self-motivation. Your family, your boss, or your co-workers can try to get your engine going, but until you decide what to accomplish, nothing will happen.
You have 15-20 years of work for that one throw, that one moment. And I was like, 'Okay, Lord, this is it - you told me I had the victory. So this is the time to show me'. And I'm going to give it all I have because this is my last throw in the Olympics.
In playing ball, and in life, a person occasionally gets the opportunity to do something great. When that time comes, only two things matter: being prepared to seize the moment and having the courage to take your best swing.
The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.
Work ethic is important because, unlike intelligence, athleticism, charisma, or any other natural attribute, it's a choice.
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