---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Somebody is going to win & somebody is…"
description: "\"Somebody is going to win & somebody is not, and that's fine... But we will never refuse to participate because we're scared to fail.\" — Chael Sonnen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/chael-sonnen-3003_failing_somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not_408322.jpg"
---

#  Somebody is going to win &amp; somebody is not, and that's…

![“Somebody is going to win &amp; somebody is not, and that's fine... But we will never refuse to participate because we're scared to fail.” quote by Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/chael-sonnen-3003_failing_somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not_408322.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/chael-sonnen-3003_failing_somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not_408322.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/chael-sonnen-3003_failing_somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not_408322.jpg)

> “Somebody is going to win &amp; somebody is not, and that's fine... But we will never refuse to participate because we're scared to fail.”

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

## About This Quote

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

Success involves winners and losers, but fear of failure shouldn't stop participation.

**In simple terms:** Winning and losing are part of competition; fear shouldn't stop us.

Key Takeaway

Embrace risk, keep competing.

Themes

competition fear resilience

Mood

determined optimistic

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- sports
- career advancement
- personal challenges

Key Concepts

risk tolerance growth mindset

Questions to Reflect On

- What would you try if failure wasn't a fear?
- How does participation build confidence?

A Different Perspective

Fear can paralyze and prevent learning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Mma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mma/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm not scared to fail, I'm not scared to lose, I'm not scared to die, for that matter... It's going to work out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-couture/i-m-not-scared-to-fail-i-m-not-scared-to-lose-i-m-not-scared-to-die/)

[Randy Couture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-couture/)

> [I refuse to participate in your head games, swim in your bu77$h!t and play in your drama. You will not manipulate me! Find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/i-refuse-to-participate-in-your-head-games-swim-in-your-bu77-h-t-and/)

[Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/)

> [Never be scared to fail, be scared not to try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-be-scared-to-fail-be-scared-not-to-try/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The one who intimidates me is myself. I'm scared to fail. That is the thing that makes me the most afraid, to fail. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ngannou/the-one-who-intimidates-me-is-myself-i-m-scared-to-fail-that-is-the/)

[Francis Ngannou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ngannou/)

> [At least I failed on my own. You niggas so scared to fail, your music never left your home. Don't be trying to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/360/at-least-i-failed-on-my-own-you-niggas-so-scared-to-fail-your-music/)

 360

> [You can't win everybody to the Lord, but you can always win somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-rice/you-can-t-win-everybody-to-the-lord-but-you-can-always-win-somebody/)

[John R. Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-rice/)

> [A sensible man would always rate it better to win somebody's heart with originality and simplicity on any accomplishment than feel good on anybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/a-sensible-man-would-always-rate-it-better-to-win-somebody-s-heart/)

[Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/)

> [We know somebody's got to win, somebody's got to lose, but aside from that, there's a lot of latitude and spontaneity and free-wheeling that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-okerlund/we-know-somebody-s-got-to-win-somebody-s-got-to-lose-but-aside-from/)

[Gene Okerlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-okerlund/)

> [We can't win at somebody else's expense. We can only fully be satisfied when the other person's needs are fulfilled as well as our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/we-can-t-win-at-somebody-else-s-expense-we-can-only-fully-be/)

[Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/)

> [It is always better to win somebody's heart with originality and simplicity on any accomplishment than feel good on anybody's or everybody's best remarks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/it-is-always-better-to-win-somebody-s-heart-with-originality-and/)

[Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/)

> [Somebody's gotta win and somebody's gotta lose and I believe in letting the other guy lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-rose/somebody-s-gotta-win-and-somebody-s-gotta-lose-and-i-believe-in/)

[Pete Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-rose/)

> [A double leg in MMA is completely different than what you would do in wrestling because the posture's different. You're standing upright as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/a-double-leg-in-mma-is-completely-different-than-what-you-would-do-in/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [One element of wrestling that I know what I grew up with we put a lot of emphasis towards was the takedown. But, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/one-element-of-wrestling-that-i-know-what-i-grew-up-with-we-put-a-lot/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [Every time you have a huge fight in wrestling, in boxing, in MMA, both guys are sure they're going to win. They really believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/every-time-you-have-a-huge-fight-in-wrestling-in-boxing-in-mma-both/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [To be successful in football, you have to do things that put the team first. Everyone has to play their role, and if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kraft/to-be-successful-in-football-you-have-to-do-things-that-put-the-team/)

[Robert Kraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kraft/)

## More by Chael Sonnen

> [I don't walk around looking into cameras and telling people I'm the best fighter in the world just to hear myself talk. I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-don-t-walk-around-looking-into-cameras-and-telling-people-i-m-the/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [I'm a God-fearing man, go to church every Sunday, and have since I was a boy. But if I ever found out that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-m-a-god-fearing-man-go-to-church-every-sunday-and-have-since-i-was/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [Because of both hipster culture and Facebook culture, the human race is starting to resemble a school of hairy piranhas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/because-of-both-hipster-culture-and-facebook-culture-the-human-race/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [I didn't get to go to school functions growing up. I didn't get to go to dances. I was never invited to a party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-didn-t-get-to-go-to-school-functions-growing-up-i-didn-t-get-to-go/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [I go to practice every day. I really don't have a training camp. In the boxing world, and that's where that came from, almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-go-to-practice-every-day-i-really-don-t-have-a-training-camp-in-the/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [I had dreams in 2000 of being an Olympian for boxing. I never talk about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-had-dreams-in-2000-of-being-an-olympian-for-boxing-i-never-talk/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [Every time you have a huge fight in wrestling, in boxing, in MMA, both guys are sure they're going to win. They really believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/every-time-you-have-a-huge-fight-in-wrestling-in-boxing-in-mma-both/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [There's a camaraderie that comes with this sport, but fighting Anderson Silva is a lot like eating Chinese food: twenty minutes after I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/there-s-a-camaraderie-that-comes-with-this-sport-but-fighting/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [I was in Las Vegas when the Nogueira brothers first touched down in America. There was a bus, this is a true story. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-was-in-las-vegas-when-the-nogueira-brothers-first-touched-down-in/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [One element of wrestling that I know what I grew up with we put a lot of emphasis towards was the takedown. But, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/one-element-of-wrestling-that-i-know-what-i-grew-up-with-we-put-a-lot/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [I go to practice each and every day, but my intensity is not the same. If I get tired, I'll go sit down. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-go-to-practice-each-and-every-day-but-my-intensity-is-not-the-same/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [If I was mentoring a young fighter, I'd tell him to spend more time on boxing. That doesn't mean I would ignore kickboxing -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/if-i-was-mentoring-a-young-fighter-i-d-tell-him-to-spend-more-time-on/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [I want to make the UFC money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-want-to-make-the-ufc-money/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [A double leg in MMA is completely different than what you would do in wrestling because the posture's different. You're standing upright as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/a-double-leg-in-mma-is-completely-different-than-what-you-would-do-in/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

[Explore all 142 Chael Sonnen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

## More Failing quotes

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Apologies are not pass/fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/apologies-are-not-pass-fail/)

[Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/)

> [Trial by jury. Live wherever you can make a living. How could a government based on such principles fail?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/trial-by-jury-live-wherever-you-can-make-a-living-how-could-a/)

[Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/)

> [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/my-willingness-to-fail-gives-me-the-ability-to-succeed/)

[Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/)

> [I would warn against holsters with devices for quick-draw. Devices always fail when you need them most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-powell/i-would-warn-against-holsters-with-devices-for-quick-draw-devices/)

[William Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-powell/)

> [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/)

[Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/)

> [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/)

[Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/)

> [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I wake up every morning fearing I am going to fail. But I love a challenge, big or small. There's so much I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mone/i-wake-up-every-morning-fearing-i-am-going-to-fail-but-i-love-a/)

[Michelle Mone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mone/)

> [What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/)

[James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/)

> [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/)

[Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/)

Browse all 5,634 Failing quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Somebody is going to win & somebody is not, and that's fine... But we will never refuse to participate because we're scared to fail.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Chael Sonnen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not-and-that-s-fine-but-we-will/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Failing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not-and-that-s-fine-but-we-will/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/chael-sonnen-3003_failing_somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not_408322.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/chael-sonnen-3003_failing_somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not_408322.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/chael-sonnen-3003_failing_somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not_408322.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Somebody is going to win & somebody is not, and that's fine... But we will never refuse to participate…” — Chael Sonnen",
                "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": "Chael Sonnen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Somebody is going to win &...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not-and-that-s-fine-but-we-will/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not-and-that-s-fine-but-we-will/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
