Spoken at Packers' Training Camp Quotes
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Source: Spoken at Packers' Training Camp
Speaker: Vince Lombardi
"Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."
Winning isn't everything, but it's the only thing. In our business, there is no second place, either you're first or you're last.
Context
This famous quote was popularized legendary football coach Vince Lombardi.
Football. It's the most important thing in America.
And even more important than playing football or watching football is winning at football, so people took it to heart when Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi said, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing" in the 1960s.
Even though he wasn't the first person to say it—that would be Vanderbilt University football coach "Red" Sanders—the immensely popular Lombardi popularized it.
Where you've heard it
Winning isn't everything, but having that trophy is.
- This quote is in memes…
- on posters…
- and in bedrooms.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
It's disputed whether or not Lombardi ever said it this way (um, cue the instant replay). Apparently, he intended to say, "Winning is not everything, but making the effort to win is." His revised quote gets a 2, but this quote gets a 7.