--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As athletes, we're defined by what we've…" description: "\"As athletes, we're defined by what we've accomplished. Those are what most people remember and what you get paid for. But I learned more from my failur..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/dan-o-brien-17274_accomplished_as-athletes-we-re-defined-by-what-we-ve_1585888.png" --- # As athletes, we're defined by what we've accomplished… ![“As athletes, we're defined by what we've accomplished. Those are what most people remember and what you get paid for. But I learned more from my failures than from all of my successes put together - failures as an athlete and as a person.” quote by Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/dan-o-brien-17274_accomplished_as-athletes-we-re-defined-by-what-we-ve_1585888.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/dan-o-brien-17274_accomplished_as-athletes-we-re-defined-by-what-we-ve_1585888.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/dan-o-brien-17274_accomplished_as-athletes-we-re-defined-by-what-we-ve_1585888.png) > “As athletes, we're defined by what we've accomplished. Those are what most people remember and what you get paid for. But I learned more from my failures than from all of my successes put together - failures as an athlete and as a person.” [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success is remembered, but failures teach deeper lessons about character and growth. **In simple terms:** Failures teach more than successes. Key Takeaway Embrace failure as a teacher. Themes failure growth achievement learning Mood reflective inspirational Type motivational biographical When to use this quote - career development - athletic training - personal development Key Concepts resilience self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - What failure shaped you most? - How can you apply that lesson today? A Different Perspective Success alone does not guarantee lasting fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplished/) [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Athlete Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete-person-418164/) [Athletes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletes/) [Athletes Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletes-defined-6000684/) [Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failures/) [Failures Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failures-athlete-6000685/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Put](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/put/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successes/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [There's a spectrum of those moments of connection and the moments we fail to connect, going from super-large successes to failures. Success would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/there-s-a-spectrum-of-those-moments-of-connection-and-the-moments-we/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [The paradox is that when we model future designs on past successes, we are inviting failure down the line; when we take into account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/the-paradox-is-that-when-we-model-future-designs-on-past-successes-we/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [It was the failures who had always won, but by the time they won they had come to be called successes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-was-the-failures-who-had-always-won-but-by-the-time-they-won-they/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Some of the biggest failures I ever had were successes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/some-of-the-biggest-failures-i-ever-had-were-successes/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [During my successes or my failures, I put it on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fat-joe/during-my-successes-or-my-failures-i-put-it-on-me/) [Fat Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fat-joe/) > [My faith helped me stay grounded in defeat and victory, to not get too excited about the successes and too low about the failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/my-faith-helped-me-stay-grounded-in-defeat-and-victory-to-not-get-too/) [Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/) > [An over-reliance on past successes is a sure blueprint for future failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/an-over-reliance-on-past-successes-is-a-sure-blueprint-for-future/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [I've had my successes and failures. I know many academics in my field loathe me. I've come to loathe them back, as it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/i-ve-had-my-successes-and-failures-i-know-many-academics-in-my-field/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [His failures are as valuable as his successes: by misjudging one thing he conforms something else, even if at the time he does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-riley/his-failures-are-as-valuable-as-his-successes-by-misjudging-one-thing/) [Bridget Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-riley/) > [I've concluded that I learned far more from my failures than from my successes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-hunt/i-ve-concluded-that-i-learned-far-more-from-my-failures-than-from-my/) [June Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-hunt/) > [Too often we just look at these glistening successes. Behind them in many, many cases is failure along the way, and that doesn't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mullen/too-often-we-just-look-at-these-glistening-successes-behind-them-in/) [Michael Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mullen/) > [Failures are much more dramatic than successes, and people like drama. I think this is why automobile races draw such crowds. People expect spectacular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/failures-are-much-more-dramatic-than-successes-and-people-like-drama/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [I have learnt more from my failures than my successes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-have-learnt-more-from-my-failures-than-my-successes/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [See, me, I don't run away. During my successes or my failures, I put it on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fat-joe/see-me-i-don-t-run-away-during-my-successes-or-my-failures-i-put-it/) [Fat Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fat-joe/) > [“I was thinking how complicated life is and how there are no simple roads or paths. We are a fabric of mistakes and hurts;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-jeffrey/i-was-thinking-how-complicated-life-is-and-how-there-are-no-simple/) [Belinda Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-jeffrey/) ## More by Dan O'Brien > [You have to be able to be a good loser. You have to be okay knowing you're going to fail every day in something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/you-have-to-be-able-to-be-a-good-loser-you-have-to-be-okay-knowing/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [It's important for me to think I'm mixed-race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/it-s-important-for-me-to-think-i-m-mixed-race/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [To me, the decathlon is its own little society and I am part of that culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/to-me-the-decathlon-is-its-own-little-society-and-i-am-part-of-that/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [You can only look forward to a South Dakota winter if, as with childbirth, remodeling a house, or writing a novel, you're able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/you-can-only-look-forward-to-a-south-dakota-winter-if-as-with/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [You need to become more than one type of athlete. You have to be a sprinter, a weight man and a distance guy all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/you-need-to-become-more-than-one-type-of-athlete-you-have-to-be-a/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [If you never give up, you'll be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/if-you-never-give-up-you-ll-be-successful/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [I think what my parents did was perfect. They were strict, concerned about my safety and held me back just a little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/i-think-what-my-parents-did-was-perfect-they-were-strict-concerned/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [After the failure in '92, my goal was to be a good pole vaulter. I used that as motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/after-the-failure-in-92-my-goal-was-to-be-a-good-pole-vaulter-i-used/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [It took me time to realize that the men who won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon are just men, just like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/it-took-me-time-to-realize-that-the-men-who-won-olympic-gold-medals/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [As a young child, I was never a crier. I never cried to get my way, or even when I was in pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/as-a-young-child-i-was-never-a-crier-i-never-cried-to-get-my-way-or/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [I didn't get a ton of interest from colleges in baseball and football, but I was outstanding in track and had the sense that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/i-didn-t-get-a-ton-of-interest-from-colleges-in-baseball-and-football/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [Try everything, because you're never sure what you're going to be great at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/try-everything-because-you-re-never-sure-what-you-re-going-to-be/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [When I was little, I wasn't allowed to put sugar on my breakfast cereal because it made me so hyper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/when-i-was-little-i-wasn-t-allowed-to-put-sugar-on-my-breakfast/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [I call myself a chameleon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/i-call-myself-a-chameleon/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [As a young athlete, it was first about having fun; then it was about winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/as-a-young-athlete-it-was-first-about-having-fun-then-it-was-about/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) [Explore all 37 Dan O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) ## More Accomplished quotes > [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [... even the most sublimely accomplished non-stop talker can't consistently please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-2/even-the-most-sublimely-accomplished-non-stop-talker-can-t/) [J. D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger-2/) > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I'm proud of what I've accomplished and that is empowering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/i-m-proud-of-what-i-ve-accomplished-and-that-is-empowering/) [Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/) > [We do not know today whether we are busy or idle. In times when we thought ourselves indolent, we have afterwards discovered that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-do-not-know-today-whether-we-are-busy-or-idle-in-times-when-we/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-gain-in-self-confidence-of-having-accomplished-a-tiresome-labour/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [With Epcot Center, the Disney corporation has accomplished something I didn't think possible in today's world. They have created a land of make-believe that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-accomplished-something-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act could harm bear conservation efforts by eliminating revenues from the carefully-regulated sport hunting of polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ridenour/listing-the-polar-bear-under-the-endangered-species-act-could-harm/) [Amy Ridenour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ridenour/) > [“Great things can be accomplished, when it doesnt matter who gets the credit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/great-things-can-be-accomplished-when-it-doesnt-matter-who-gets-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [If I could inspire you for even a moment to be yourself and love yourself, and not let what anyone has to say hinder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-neal-hartry/if-i-could-inspire-you-for-even-a-moment-to-be-yourself-and-love/) [Joshua Neal Hartry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-neal-hartry/) [Browse all 1,379 Accomplished quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplished/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As athletes, we're defined by what we've accomplished. 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