---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it would have been a lot better…"
description: "\"I think it would have been a lot better for him to say, I did it and I'm sorry, McGwire was never one to show a lot of emotion on the field, not a play..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/fay-vincent-42778_attention_i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better_144161.jpg"
---

#  I think it would have been a lot better for him to say, I…

![“I think it would have been a lot better for him to say, I did it and I'm sorry, McGwire was never one to show a lot of emotion on the field, not a player who sought attention and craved to be thought of as a nice guy.” quote by Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/fay-vincent-42778_attention_i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better_144161.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/fay-vincent-42778_attention_i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better_144161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/fay-vincent-42778_attention_i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better_144161.jpg)

> “I think it would have been a lot better for him to say, I did it and I'm sorry, McGwire was never one to show a lot of emotion on the field, not a player who sought attention and craved to be thought of as a nice guy.”

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

## About This Quote

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

A sincere apology and accountability are preferable to emotional restraint and seeking approval, especially in high‑pressure sports contexts.

**In simple terms:** Apologizing sincerely is better than hiding emotions.

Key Takeaway

Own mistakes openly and avoid seeking false approval.

Themes

accountability integrity leadership

Mood

critical empathetic

Type

reflective motivational

When to use this quote

- team dynamics
- media interviews
- career management

Key Concepts

sports ethics public relations personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What prevents athletes from showing vulnerability?
- How can leaders foster authentic communication?

A Different Perspective

Public apologies can be scrutinized heavily.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Nice guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-guy/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/)

## Related quotes

> [“The guiding principle of Martin’s personality, the sum of his interior existence, was the desire to be left alone. If all those years he’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/the-guiding-principle-of-martin-s-personality-the-sum-of-his-interior/)

[Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/)

> [“It’s better to say something too little, than nothing too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/it-s-better-to-say-something-too-little-than-nothing-too-much/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Better to have something to say than to have to say something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/better-to-have-something-to-say-than-to-have-to-say-something/)

[James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/)

> [“Sometimes you say things because they make you feel better. Sometimes you say that because it makes me feel better. “I love you” stays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-hart/sometimes-you-say-things-because-they-make-you-feel-better-sometimes/)

[Megan Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-hart/)

> [It's better to say too much, than never to say what you need to say again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/it-s-better-to-say-too-much-than-never-to-say-what-you-need-to-say/)

[John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/)

> [I'm clearer now in what I want to say, and I know better how to say just that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/i-m-clearer-now-in-what-i-want-to-say-and-i-know-better-how-to-say/)

[Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/)

> [Do not say if I want I'll help you. better to say if I can I will help you ', because' if I want'does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regha-hanif-malik-fajar-s/do-not-say-if-i-want-i-ll-help-you-better-to-say-if-i-can-i-will-help/)

[Regha Hanif Malik Fajar's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regha-hanif-malik-fajar-s/)

> [It is better not to say "lend." There is only giving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/it-is-better-not-to-say-lend-there-is-only-giving/)

[Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/)

> [I just have to be better. There's not much else to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-harvey/i-just-have-to-be-better-there-s-not-much-else-to-say/)

[Matt Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-harvey/)

> [“I'd like nothing better than to say that I was not afraid of Islam.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gadiel/i-d-like-nothing-better-than-to-say-that-i-was-not-afraid-of-islam/)

Peter Gadiel

> [Better say it out and feel peaceful than keep it in and hate on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/better-say-it-out-and-feel-peaceful-than-keep-it-in-and-hate-on/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [One begins with two people on a stage, and one of them had better say something pretty quick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/one-begins-with-two-people-on-a-stage-and-one-of-them-had-better-say/)

[Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/)

> [Sometimes it's better not to say any for you to be heard . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhaboo/sometimes-it-s-better-not-to-say-any-for-you-to-be-heard/)

[Bhaboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhaboo/)

> [Better out then in, I always say! until you shit yourself!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-murray/better-out-then-in-i-always-say-until-you-shit-yourself/)

Ronald Murray

> [“You know what my grandma used to say?" "There's no place like home?" "No.Tomorrow will be better" "But what if it's not?" "Then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-matson-amy-and-roger-s-epic-detour/you-know-what-my-grandma-used-to-say-there-s-no-place-like-home-no/)

Morgan Matson Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

## More by Fay Vincent

> [I can't be optimistic. I can be hopeful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/i-can-t-be-optimistic-i-can-be-hopeful/)

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

> [This is a coup for commissioner Bud Selig. I'm surprised it's as good as it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/this-is-a-coup-for-commissioner-bud-selig-i-m-surprised-it-s-as-good/)

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

> [The final ballots represent players, managers, executives and builders who are top-tier candidates and worthy of review for consideration for election to the Hall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/the-final-ballots-represent-players-managers-executives-and-builders/)

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

> [The economics of baseball are the big problem. The big clubs make a lot of money and the little clubs don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/the-economics-of-baseball-are-the-big-problem-the-big-clubs-make-a/)

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

> [It's tempting, because as one senator said to me, 'We know if we invite baseball down, we'll draw a crowd'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/it-s-tempting-because-as-one-senator-said-to-me-we-know-if-we-invite/)

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

> [Certainly toward the end of the season, you and I could be in a ballpark and they might say the crowd is 30,000, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/certainly-toward-the-end-of-the-season-you-and-i-could-be-in-a/)

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

> [It was a terrible day for baseball, it was a worse day for Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/it-was-a-terrible-day-for-baseball-it-was-a-worse-day-for-congress/)

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

> [It's not in baseball's interest or the players' interest to be taking this stance. It's the people's game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/it-s-not-in-baseball-s-interest-or-the-players-interest-to-be-taking/)

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

> [I believe that, too, it's hard to believe that anybody could not believe that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/i-believe-that-too-it-s-hard-to-believe-that-anybody-could-not/)

[Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

[Explore all 10 Fay Vincent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/)

## More Attention quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/)

[Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/)

> [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/)

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

> [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/)

[Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/)

> [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/)

[Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/)

[Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/)

> [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/)

[Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/)

> [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/)

[Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/)

> [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/)

[Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/)

[Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/)

> [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/)

[Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/)

[Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think it would have been a lot better for him to say, I did it and I'm sorry, McGwire was never one to show a lot of emotion on the field, not a player who sought attention and craved to be thought of as a nice guy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fay Vincent"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better-for-him-to-say-i-did-it-and-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attention"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better-for-him-to-say-i-did-it-and-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/fay-vincent-42778_attention_i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better_144161.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/fay-vincent-42778_attention_i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better_144161.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/fay-vincent-42778_attention_i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better_144161.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think it would have been a lot better for him to say, I did it and I'm sorry, McGwire was never one to…” — Fay Vincent",
                "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": "Fay Vincent",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think it would have been...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better-for-him-to-say-i-did-it-and-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/i-think-it-would-have-been-a-lot-better-for-him-to-say-i-did-it-and-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
