It's not human nature to be great. It's human nature to survive, to be average and do what you have to do to get by. That is normal. When you have something good happen, it's the special people that can stay focused and keep paying attention to detail, working to get better and not being satisfied with what they have accomplished.
Interpretation
True greatness requires focus and effort beyond mere survival.
This quote emphasizes that being great is not a natural state for humanity; instead, most people tend to settle for mediocrity as they strive to survive. It highlights the importance of dedication, attention to detail, and the continuous pursuit of improvement, suggesting that greatness is achieved by those who remain committed and unsatisfied with the status quo.
In practice
During a motivational speech at a leadership conference.
I don't want people to think I'm not happy when we win - I am. But there's a difference between being happy for the feeling of accomplishing something and being overjoyed and feeling, 'This is it - we conquered the world.' We didn't. We just won a game.
I don't believe you name a starter until the starter wins the team.
People talk about you won four national championships. Well, I feel like we've had good enough teams to win eight. So I feel like we failed four times. I feel like I failed four times.
What happened yesterday is history. What happens tomorrow is a mystery. What we do today makes a difference - the precious present moment.
When I talk about a successful program, define that. It's not just winning the national championship every year because nobody can do that.
I think the worst thing a player can do is just not be yourself.
Organize, and stand together. Claim something together, and at once; let the nation hear a united demand from the laboring voice, and then, when you have got that, go on after another; but get something.
When life knocks you to your knees, and it will, why, get up! If it knocks you to your knees again, as it will, well, isn't that the best position from which to pray?
The Pavlik fight was the first time I heard the masses put the word knockout attached to my opponent. I'm real keen on what people say. Ninety percent of it might be garbage, but something in there might be the plan. That woke me up and I knew I wanted to destroy.
Promise to my momma I'ma make it to the Top.._x000D_ So I'ma keep climbing til my heartbeat drop
I never had one day that I didn't want to be on the ice, because I always had an objective for that day. I had a rigorous plan and schedule in place that I had to adhere to. It was a step-by-step process of slowly but surely inching toward the Olympic Games and using every day as a series of goals to be accomplished.
Don't get bogged down by the notion of limits. There aren't any.
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