It's about getting in position and taking a swing. I don't care if you're taking steroids or not; if you don't do those two things, it's not going to matter anyway.
Interpretation
Success comes from being prepared and taking action, regardless of external factors.
In this quote, Tony Gwynn emphasizes the importance of being ready to take chances in order to achieve success. He suggests that it is crucial to put oneself in a position to act and to take decisive action, as merely relying on advantages such as performance-enhancing substances will not lead to success without effort and initiative.
In practice
In a motivational speech to young athletes.
I think the ability to hit - some guys have it and some guys don't - but I think how dedicated you are to trying to get the most out of yourself, I think kind of determines how good you are and for how long. I was born with the ability to hit, but my work ethic has taken it to the next level.
I'm coaching 'swing at this, don't swing at that,' and in the middle of it, a kid looks at me and says, 'Coach, I think I'm going to fail history.' Or maybe their girlfriend just dumped them. These are kids, and once I embraced that, this became a lot more fun.
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.
The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business--or almost anywhere else for that matter.
My success was due to good luck, hard work, and support and advice from friends and mentors. But most importantly, it depended on me to keep trying after I had failed.
The secret of success lies not in doing your own work, but in recognizing the right man to do it.
Resourcefulnes s is the cure to failure. Successful people are resourceful and find a way to make it work.
I've seen enough successful writers who no longer seem to care when they are recognized with an award, and I think that's just tragic.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.