--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's extremely hard for athletes to…" description: "\"It's extremely hard for athletes to accept what's happened to them sometimes. It's hard to be beaten by a small margin, and I've spoken with athletes w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/chris-cleave-1698_accepting_it-s-extremely-hard-for-athletes-to-acce_1106235.jpg" --- # It's extremely hard for athletes to accept what's happened… ![“It's extremely hard for athletes to accept what's happened to them sometimes. It's hard to be beaten by a small margin, and I've spoken with athletes who, for years afterward, have been tormented by the knowledge that, had they done something ever so slightly different, they could have been…” quote by Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/chris-cleave-1698_accepting_it-s-extremely-hard-for-athletes-to-acce_1106235.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/chris-cleave-1698_accepting_it-s-extremely-hard-for-athletes-to-acce_1106235.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/chris-cleave-1698_accepting_it-s-extremely-hard-for-athletes-to-acce_1106235.jpg) > “It's extremely hard for athletes to accept what's happened to them sometimes. It's hard to be beaten by a small margin, and I've spoken with athletes who, for years afterward, have been tormented by the knowledge that, had they done something ever so slightly different, they could have been one-ten-thousandth of a second quicker.” [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Athletes struggle with near-miss outcomes, leading to lingering self‑criticism and what‑if thinking that can hinder future performance. **In simple terms:** Athletes often obsess over tiny margins, causing lasting doubt. Key Takeaway Focus on growth, not perfection. Themes sports psychology performance mindset perfectionism Mood motivational empathetic analytical Type sports psychology self‑improvement When to use this quote - coaching sessions - mental training - rehabilitation programs - team meetings - personal reflection Key Concepts cognitive bias self‑talk resilience Questions to Reflect On - What can athletes do to reframe near‑misses? - How does perfectionism impact long‑term success? A Different Perspective Fixating on minute errors can erode confidence and motivation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Athletes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletes/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) ## Related quotes > [I have spoken with many former athletes, and they tell me the best time they had was in sports. 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It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. 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I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's extremely hard for athletes to accept what's happened to them sometimes. 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