---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Managing can be more discouraging than…"
description: "\"Managing can be more discouraging than playing, especially when you're losing because when you're a player, there are at least individual goals you can..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/al-lopez-43176_discouraging_managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-p_1497522.png"
---

#  Managing can be more discouraging than playing, especially…

![“Managing can be more discouraging than playing, especially when you're losing because when you're a player, there are at least individual goals you can shoot for. When you're a manager all the worries of the team become your worries.” quote by Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/al-lopez-43176_discouraging_managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-p_1497522.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/al-lopez-43176_discouraging_managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-p_1497522.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/al-lopez-43176_discouraging_managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-p_1497522.png)

> “Managing can be more discouraging than playing, especially when you're losing because when you're a player, there are at least individual goals you can shoot for. When you're a manager all the worries of the team become your worries.”

[Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Managing can be more discouraging than playing because responsibility shifts from personal goals to team outcomes.

**In simple terms:** Management adds pressure of team success.

Key Takeaway

Balance personal and team goals.

Themes

leadership teamwork responsibility

Mood

inspirational practical

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- sports coaching
- project management
- business leadership

Key Concepts

motivation goal‑setting

Questions to Reflect On

- How can managers stay motivated?
- What strategies keep team morale high?

A Different Perspective

Managers may lose personal achievement satisfaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Discouraging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraging/) [Discouraging Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraging-playing-5482713/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Losing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Manager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manager/) [Manager Worries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manager-worries-5482712/) [Managing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/managing/) [Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/)

## Related quotes

> [I started in the lowest league in baseball, and I worked my way all the way up to Triple A and then to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lasorda/i-started-in-the-lowest-league-in-baseball-and-i-worked-my-way-all/)

[Tommy Lasorda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lasorda/)

> [Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/many-american-tv-actors-employ-agents-managers-business-managers/)

[Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/)

> [If the players don't produce, and aren't in the position to be evaluated correctly, then a manager's job of winning or losing baseball games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-smoltz/if-the-players-don-t-produce-and-aren-t-in-the-position-to-be/)

[John Smoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-smoltz/)

> [“In many ways, life is about managing your delusions; keeping the ones that nourish and eliminating the ones that poison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/in-many-ways-life-is-about-managing-your-delusions-keeping-the-ones/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [The secret of successful managing is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the four guys who haven't made up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/the-secret-of-successful-managing-is-to-keep-the-five-guys-who-hate/)

[Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/)

> [Football management is about managing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-dyche/football-management-is-about-managing-people/)

[Sean Dyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-dyche/)

> [I've been asked to interview for many managing jobs, and I never said yes because I was never serious about it, and I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/i-ve-been-asked-to-interview-for-many-managing-jobs-and-i-never-said/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

> [Managing a league club is like making love to a mermaid... you should always be aiming for a top half finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-holloway/managing-a-league-club-is-like-making-love-to-a-mermaid-you-should/)

[Ian Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-holloway/)

> [Transparency is not about restoring trust in institutions. Transparency is the politics of managing mistrust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-krastev/transparency-is-not-about-restoring-trust-in-institutions/)

[Ivan Krastev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-krastev/)

> [“If you can’t actually take time off without having to make sure everything is going right at the office, the thinking goes, you aren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sutherland/if-you-can-t-actually-take-time-off-without-having-to-make-sure/)

[Jeff Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sutherland/)

> [The world isn't fast-paced, it's frenetic. People have to be managers of themselves. Time has been managing itself for 15 billion years; we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/the-world-isn-t-fast-paced-it-s-frenetic-people-have-to-be-managers/)

[Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/)

> [I've seen people be effective, even among local teams, by offering something that improves wellbeing in a small way - people who get passionate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rath/i-ve-seen-people-be-effective-even-among-local-teams-by-offering/)

[Tom Rath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rath/)

> [My eight years in Detroit, obviously, were my most successful years managing. I think that Pittsburgh and Detroit are probably very, very similar. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/my-eight-years-in-detroit-obviously-were-my-most-successful-years/)

[Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/)

> [I won't be managing the Mets. I am closing the door on managing the Mets and probably everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-torre/i-won-t-be-managing-the-mets-i-am-closing-the-door-on-managing-the/)

[Joe Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-torre/)

> [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/)

[Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/)

## More by Al Lopez

> [Do what you love to do and give it your very best. Whether it's business or baseball, or the theater, or any field. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/do-what-you-love-to-do-and-give-it-your-very-best-whether-it-s/)

[Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

> [I'm delighted. I don't know of anybody who had a statue built of them while they were living. It's a great feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/i-m-delighted-i-don-t-know-of-anybody-who-had-a-statue-built-of-them/)

[Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

> [Everybody says we hated the Yankees. We didn't hate the Yankees. We just hated the way they beat us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/everybody-says-we-hated-the-yankees-we-didn-t-hate-the-yankees-we/)

[Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

> [They say anything can happen in a short series. I just didn't expect it to be that short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/they-say-anything-can-happen-in-a-short-series-i-just-didn-t-expect/)

[Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

> [Go with the best you've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/go-with-the-best-you-ve-got/)

[Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

> [The youngsters coming up now just go through the motions necessary to make the play. They should bounce around a little, show some life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/the-youngsters-coming-up-now-just-go-through-the-motions-necessary-to/)

[Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

> [The manager is by himself. He can't mingle with his players. I enjoyed my players, but I could not socialize with them so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/the-manager-is-by-himself-he-can-t-mingle-with-his-players-i-enjoyed/)

[Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

> [I usually stick out my hand and hope he puts the ball in it. Except the one time I went out to take Early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/i-usually-stick-out-my-hand-and-hope-he-puts-the-ball-in-it-except/)

[Al Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

[Explore all 9 Al Lopez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/)

## More Discouraging quotes

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [What greater weakness can there be than not to know what is the source of one's being, of one's life, of one's senses, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/what-greater-weakness-can-there-be-than-not-to-know-what-is-the/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [I wasn't good enough. I had a little talent but not enough. There is nothing more discouraging than having just a little talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamunde-pilcher/i-wasn-t-good-enough-i-had-a-little-talent-but-not-enough-there-is/)

[Rosamunde Pilcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamunde-pilcher/)

> [The full implications of feminism will evolve over time, as we organize, experiment, think, analyze, and revise our ideas and strategies in light of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bunch/the-full-implications-of-feminism-will-evolve-over-time-as-we/)

[Charlotte Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bunch/)

> [When champions fail, they get back up and try again. They don't let failure discourage them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-clark/when-champions-fail-they-get-back-up-and-try-again-they-don-t-let/)

[Mary Ellen Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-clark/)

> [I just have a more holistic sense of what it means to be for life, knowing that life does not just begin at conception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/i-just-have-a-more-holistic-sense-of-what-it-means-to-be-for-life/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [A good man likes a hard boss. I don't mean a nagging boss or a grouchy boss. I mean a boss who insists on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/a-good-man-likes-a-hard-boss-i-don-t-mean-a-nagging-boss-or-a-grouchy/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/it-is-discouraging-how-many-people-are-shocked-by-honesty-and-how-few/)

[Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/)

> [“Discouraging words should not weigh you down instead they should challenge you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/discouraging-words-should-not-weigh-you-down-instead-they-should/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [Literary theory has become a parody of science, generating its own arcane jargon. In the process, tragically, it discourages love of literature for its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/literary-theory-has-become-a-parody-of-science-generating-its-own/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/as-a-peacemaker-the-lawyer-has-superior-opportunity-of-being-a-good/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Nothing is so discouraging to an actor than to have to work for long hours upon hours in brightly lighted interior sets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/nothing-is-so-discouraging-to-an-actor-than-to-have-to-work-for-long/)

[John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/)

> [“It might look discouraging , but at every relapse, you learn something new.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-hari/it-might-look-discouraging-but-at-every-relapse-you-learn-something/)

[Johann Hari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-hari/)

> [Because of my compact and muscular body composition, my short hair, and my "Johawk," I have been mistaken for a boy on many occasions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-lohman/because-of-my-compact-and-muscular-body-composition-my-short-hair-and/)

[Joanna Lohman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-lohman/)

[Browse all 379 Discouraging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraging/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Managing can be more discouraging than playing, especially when you're losing because when you're a player, there are at least individual goals you can shoot for. When you're a manager all the worries of the team become your worries.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Al Lopez"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-playing-especially-when-you-re/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Discouraging"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-playing-especially-when-you-re/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/al-lopez-43176_discouraging_managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-p_1497522.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/al-lopez-43176_discouraging_managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-p_1497522.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/al-lopez-43176_discouraging_managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-p_1497522.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Managing can be more discouraging than playing, especially when you're losing because when you're a player…” — Al Lopez",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Al Lopez",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lopez/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Managing can be more discouraging than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-playing-especially-when-you-re/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lopez/managing-can-be-more-discouraging-than-playing-especially-when-you-re/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
