--- title: "3 Competence Quotes By Chris Hadfield" description: "3 Competence quotes by Chris Hadfield. Plus more from Chris Hadfield and more Competence sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/chris-hadfield-2011_every-second_the-upshot-of-all-this-is-that-we-become_317561.jpg" --- > [“The upshot of all this is that we become competent, which is the most important quality to have if you’re an astronaut—or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/the-upshot-of-all-this-is-that-we-become-competent-which-is-the-most/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/chris-hadfield-2011_every-second_the-upshot-of-all-this-is-that-we-become_317561.jpg) > [Competence means keeping your head in a crisis, sticking with a task even when it seems hopeless, and improvising good solutions to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/competence-means-keeping-your-head-in-a-crisis-sticking-with-a-task/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/chris-hadfield-2011_competence_competence-means-keeping-your-head-in-a_1486529.jpg) > [“Competence means keeping your head in a crisis, sticking with a task even when it seems hopeless, and improvising good solutions to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/competence-means-keeping-your-head-in-a-crisis-sticking-with-a-task-2/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acb/chris-hadfield-2011_competence_competence-means-keeping-your-head-in-a_2652964.jpg) ## Other authors on Competence ## More by Chris Hadfield > [“Wow, that was a really good sleep. I feel great. Hmm, that sounds like someone on the radio; maybe I’m still dreaming. Weird—the guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/wow-that-was-a-really-good-sleep-i-feel-great-hmm-that-sounds-like/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [“Sometimes when people find out I’m an astronaut, they ask, “So what do you do when you’re not flying in space?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/sometimes-when-people-find-out-i-m-an-astronaut-they-ask-so-what-do/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [My optimism and confidence come not from feeling I'm luckier than other mortals, and they sure don't come from visualizing victory. They're the result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/my-optimism-and-confidence-come-not-from-feeling-i-m-luckier-than/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [Our training pushes us to develop a new set of instincts: instead of reacting to danger with a fight-or-flight adrenaline rush, we're trained to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/our-training-pushes-us-to-develop-a-new-set-of-instincts-instead-of/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [“That’s how I approach just about everything. I spend my life getting ready to play “Rocket Man.” I picture the most demanding challenge; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/that-s-how-i-approach-just-about-everything-i-spend-my-life-getting/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [“Many people object to “wasting money in space” yet have no idea how much is actually spent on space exploration. The CSA’s budget, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/many-people-object-to-wasting-money-in-space-yet-have-no-idea-how/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [Don't let life randomly kick you into the adult you don't want to become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/don-t-let-life-randomly-kick-you-into-the-adult-you-don-t-want-to/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [The Soyuz craft weighs tons, and you're lying on the floor of it on your back. But the Russians do tell you, remember, before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/the-soyuz-craft-weighs-tons-and-you-re-lying-on-the-floor-of-it-on/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [“They have the impression that between launches, we pretty much sit around in a waiting room in Houston trying to catch our breath before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/they-have-the-impression-that-between-launches-we-pretty-much-sit/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [It's almost comical that astronauts are stereotyped as daredevils and cowboys. As a rule, we're highly methodical and detail-oriented. Our passion isn't for thrills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/it-s-almost-comical-that-astronauts-are-stereotyped-as-daredevils-and/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [“If you’re an adrenaline junkie, I understand why you’d find that exciting. But I’m not, and I don’t. To me, the only good reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/if-you-re-an-adrenaline-junkie-i-understand-why-you-d-find-that/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [I once made myself black out by pulling G too quickly while flying an F-18. Being unconscious in a single-seat airplane is not good.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/i-once-made-myself-black-out-by-pulling-g-too-quickly-while-flying-an/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [“When you have some skills but don’t fully understand your environment, there is no way you can be a plus one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/when-you-have-some-skills-but-don-t-fully-understand-your-environment/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [Anticipating problems and figuring out how to solve them is actually the opposite of worrying: it's productive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/anticipating-problems-and-figuring-out-how-to-solve-them-is-actually/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [I think there are lots of ways to exercise ambition and accomplish things using leadership without going into elected politics. So, categorically, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/i-think-there-are-lots-of-ways-to-exercise-ambition-and-accomplish/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competence/chris-hadfield/#itemlist", "name": "3 Competence Quotes By Chris Hadfield", "numberOfItems": 3, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The upshot of all this is that we become competent, which is the most important quality to have if you’re an astronaut—or, frankly, anyone, anywhere, who is striving to succeed at anything at all. Competence means keeping your head in a crisis, sticking with a task even when it seems hopeless, and improvising good solutions to tough problems when every second counts. 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