--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To boast of a performance which I cannot…" description: "\"To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. And if I can beat it that means there is nothing special about it. What has pass..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/emil-zatopek-16715_boast_to-boast-of-a-performance-which-i-cannot_2662833.png" --- # To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely… ![“To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. And if I can beat it that means there is nothing special about it. What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.” quote by Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/emil-zatopek-16715_boast_to-boast-of-a-performance-which-i-cannot_2662833.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/emil-zatopek-16715_boast_to-boast-of-a-performance-which-i-cannot_2662833.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/emil-zatopek-16715_boast_to-boast-of-a-performance-which-i-cannot_2662833.png) > “To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. And if I can beat it that means there is nothing special about it. What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.” [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Boasting about past performance is vanity; true interest lies in future challenges and growth. **In simple terms:** Past performance is vanity; focus on future. Key Takeaway Prioritize future improvement over past glory. Themes humility growth future Mood inspirational motivational Type sports philosophical When to use this quote - sports - personal development - goal setting Key Concepts vanity self‑assessment Questions to Reflect On - What future goal excites you most? - How will you measure progress? A Different Perspective Past achievements can still motivate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) [Performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) ## Related quotes > [What egotism, what stupid vanity, to suppose that a thing could not happen because you could not conceive it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-balmer/what-egotism-what-stupid-vanity-to-suppose-that-a-thing-could-not/) Edwin Balmer > [There is a certain class of people who prefer to say that their fathers came down in the world through their own follies than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-certain-class-of-people-who-prefer-to-say-that-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think I may boast myself to be, with all possible vanity, the most unlearned and uninformed female who ever dared to be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-think-i-may-boast-myself-to-be-with-all-possible-vanity-the-most/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Vain men delight in telling what Honours have been done them, what great Company they have kept, and the like; by which they plainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/vain-men-delight-in-telling-what-honours-have-been-done-them-what/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [Wisdom can boast no higher attainment than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/wisdom-can-boast-no-higher-attainment-than-happiness/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [Buonaparte has often made his boast that our fleet would be worn out by keeping the sea and that his was kept in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/buonaparte-has-often-made-his-boast-that-our-fleet-would-be-worn-out/) [Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/) > [“A classic is read not to enjoy but only to be boast about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/a-classic-is-read-not-to-enjoy-but-only-to-be-boast-about-it/) [Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/) > [Boast is always a cry of despair, except in the young it is a cry of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/boast-is-always-a-cry-of-despair-except-in-the-young-it-is-a-cry-of/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/we-are-not-saints-but-we-have-kept-our-appointment-how-many-people/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“in other words, his story was part boast, part confession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mezrich/in-other-words-his-story-was-part-boast-part-confession/) [Ben Mezrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mezrich/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Further conceive, I beg, that a stone, while continuing in motion, should be capable of thinking and knowing, that it is endeavoring, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/further-conceive-i-beg-that-a-stone-while-continuing-in-motion-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/) [Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/) > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) ## More by Emil Zatopek > [The childhood games ended for me when I was 14 and I finished school. I had to find a job, not an easy thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/the-childhood-games-ended-for-me-when-i-was-14-and-i-finished-school/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [When I was young, I was too slow. I thought I must learn to run fast by practicing to run fast, so I ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/when-i-was-young-i-was-too-slow-i-thought-i-must-learn-to-run-fast-by/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [I was not talented enough to run and smile at the same time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/i-was-not-talented-enough-to-run-and-smile-at-the-same-time/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [I had started as an average athlete - a normal boy. It took me three years to win a race. I was glad that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/i-had-started-as-an-average-athlete-a-normal-boy-it-took-me-three/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/when-a-person-trains-once-nothing-happens-when-a-person-forces/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [I was unable to walk for a whole week after that, so much did the race take out of me. But it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/i-was-unable-to-walk-for-a-whole-week-after-that-so-much-did-the-race/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [If I run 100 meters 30 times, that is 3 kilometers and no longer a sprint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/if-i-run-100-meters-30-times-that-is-3-kilometers-and-no-longer-a/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [Sri Chinmoy brings Heaven to me. He inspires everyone to be happy. He deserves the biggest gold medal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/sri-chinmoy-brings-heaven-to-me-he-inspires-everyone-to-be-happy-he/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [You can't climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don't fulfill it, then your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/you-can-t-climb-up-to-the-second-floor-without-a-ladder-when-you-set/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/it-s-at-the-borders-of-pain-and-suffering-that-the-men-are-separated/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/if-you-want-to-run-run-a-mile-if-you-want-to-experience-a-different/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/we-are-different-in-essence-from-other-men-if-you-want-to-win/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [In my country, I am just a common man... a nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/in-my-country-i-am-just-a-common-man-a-nobody/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [When I was young, I was too slow. I thought I must learn to run fast by practicing to run fast, so I ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/when-i-was-young-i-was-too-slow-i-thought-i-must-learn-to-run-fast-by-2/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [Try for a goal that's reasonable, then gradually raise it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/try-for-a-goal-that-s-reasonable-then-gradually-raise-it/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) [Explore all 39 Emil Zatopek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) ## More Boast quotes > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/) [Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/) > [Further conceive, I beg, that a stone, while continuing in motion, should be capable of thinking and knowing, that it is endeavoring, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/further-conceive-i-beg-that-a-stone-while-continuing-in-motion-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“in other words, his story was part boast, part confession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mezrich/in-other-words-his-story-was-part-boast-part-confession/) [Ben Mezrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mezrich/) > [We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/we-are-not-saints-but-we-have-kept-our-appointment-how-many-people/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [Boast is always a cry of despair, except in the young it is a cry of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/boast-is-always-a-cry-of-despair-except-in-the-young-it-is-a-cry-of/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [“A classic is read not to enjoy but only to be boast about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/a-classic-is-read-not-to-enjoy-but-only-to-be-boast-about-it/) [Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/) > [Buonaparte has often made his boast that our fleet would be worn out by keeping the sea and that his was kept in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/buonaparte-has-often-made-his-boast-that-our-fleet-would-be-worn-out/) [Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/) > [Wisdom can boast no higher attainment than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/wisdom-can-boast-no-higher-attainment-than-happiness/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [But thou art fair, and at thy birth, dear boy, Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great: Of Nature's gifts thou mayst with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-thou-art-fair-and-at-thy-birth-dear-boy-nature-and-fortune-join-d/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Science appears but what in truth she is, Not as our glory and our absolute boast, But as a succedaneum, and a prop To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/science-appears-but-what-in-truth-she-is-not-as-our-glory-and-our/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [It has, therefore, been a favorite boast of the people of Wales and Cornwall, that the original British stock flourishes in its unmixed purity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bulfinch/it-has-therefore-been-a-favorite-boast-of-the-people-of-wales-and/) [Thomas Bulfinch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bulfinch/) > [Boasting is only a masked shame; it does not truly believe in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/boasting-is-only-a-masked-shame-it-does-not-truly-believe-in-itself/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) [Browse all 567 Boast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. 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