“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

THE FAMOUS COACHES’ QUOTE: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”         A saying popularized by American football coaches Red Sanders and Vince Lombardi        There has been a longstanding debate over whether this saying was used first by UCLA football coach Henry “Red” Sanders or Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. According to the authoritative reference book The Quote Verifier by Ralph Keyes and other sources, Sanders probably said it first in 1950. However, Lombardi also used the saying and is the coach most often associated with it.

THE WORLD CUP COROLLARY: “Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. The World Cup athletes have a ‘Whatever it takes’ attitude. They've made the decision to pay any price and bear any burden in the name of victory.”        Steve Siebold        Author, blogger, Huffington Post columnist and “expert in the field of critical thinking and mental toughness training”        In a June 2014 post about “Why Your Employees Should Watch the World Cup.”

A RACER’S VIEWPOINT: “Winning is everything. The only ones who remember you when you come second are your wife and your dog.”        Damon Hill        British race car driver        Quoted in the London Sunday Times, December 18, 1994

A POLITICIAN’S VIEWPOINT: “Winning may not be everything, but losing has little to recommend it.”        Dianne Feinstein        U.S. Senator for California        Quoted in Women Know Everything (2007) and other books

A PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR’S COUNTERQUOTE: “When winning is everything, then other values such as fair play, honesty, and human compassion are all thrown out in the face of  winning.”        Michael Boylan        Professor of philosophy at Marymount University (Arlington, Virginia)        In his book A Just Society (2004)

J-MO’S COUNTERQUOTE: “Don’t we get enough ‘Winning Is Everything’ bullshit thrown at us from a zillion other sources? Are we really surprised that kids wind up on Lexapro at age 18 when they inevitably learn the Real-Life Lesson that you just can’t win all the time?”         Online journalist J-Mo        In a post on the TrashTalkTV site about the win-lose mentality of many reality TV shows, like Top Chef.

THE LOVE HANDLES COUNTERQUOTE: “Losing is everything. Whoever said winning is everything never tried to lose their love handles.”        Headline in an ad for NordicTrack (1994)

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