Vince Lombardi Quote

by John
(USA)

My favorite sport-related quote is "fatigue makes cowards of us all" which is attributed to Vince Lombardi.

I don't know if he actually said this, but it rings true, at least to me. I came across it many years ago at a used bookstore. Somebody had written it on the inside flap of a paperback copy of Plato’s Republic, of all things. I’m guessing the scribbler, presumably the original owner, was trying to inject some mirth in his slog through a less than breezy read.

But it occurred to me that as well as being funny in that context, it also suggested that intellectual pursuit was in a way comparable to athletic striving, and neither need apologize to the other when they are being compared-- and that’s probably something both Plato and Vince Lombardi probably agreed on.

I guess I find Lombardi’s saying inspirational because I always remember when and where I came across it, so it has added meaning for me regarding the idea that pushing through fatigue in both athletic and academic arenas is a noble task.