In sport, if you want to be the best you have to compete against the best - I would much rather have come tenth and be judged against everyone than come first and be judged against just a few.
Interpretation
True success comes from challenging oneself against the highest standards.
This quote emphasizes the importance of competition and striving for excellence. Daley Thompson expresses the idea that achieving a high rank is more meaningful when it comes from facing tough opponents rather than winning easily against lesser competition. It highlights the value of pushing oneself to grow and improve by engaging in challenging situations.
In practice
Motivational speech to athletes at a sports event.
I was in the doldrums for a while after my athletics career ended in 1992. I spent six to eight hours a day training, for 18 years, and it took a long time to get over the regret that I wasn't competing in major championships any more. All I ever wanted to be was the best. But I find new projects and I keep things in perspective.
I did not want to be the best black man of the year; I wanted to be the best man of the year.
Being a decathlete is like having ten girlfriends. You have to love them all, and you can't afford losing one.
I wouldn't swap the era I competed in for anything, not a day of it. I started out as an amateur, and people like myself, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, Tessa Sanderson and the rest did it for the glory of winning medals for our country.
Without Arthur's voice, I never would have enjoyed that success.
It is the 'follow through' that makes the great difference between ultimate success and failure, because it is so easy to stop.
Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.
At 14, you think you compete, you retire and you get a job. I didn't think gymnastics was a career that was going to change my life.
What is the recipe for successful achievement? Choose a career you love. Give it the best there is in you. Seize your opportunities. And be a member of the team.
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.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.