--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People don't pay much attention to you…" description: "\"People don't pay much attention to you when you are second best. I wanted to see what it felt like to be number one.\" — Florence Griffith Joyner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/florence-griffith-joyner-22500_attention_people-don-t-pay-much-attention-to-you-w_562430.jpg" --- # People don't pay much attention to you when you are second… ![“People don't pay much attention to you when you are second best. I wanted to see what it felt like to be number one.” quote by Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/florence-griffith-joyner-22500_attention_people-don-t-pay-much-attention-to-you-w_562430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/florence-griffith-joyner-22500_attention_people-don-t-pay-much-attention-to-you-w_562430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/florence-griffith-joyner-22500_attention_people-don-t-pay-much-attention-to-you-w_562430.jpg) > “People don't pay much attention to you when you are second best. I wanted to see what it felt like to be number one.” [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being second best makes you invisible; striving for first brings attention and validation. **In simple terms:** Second place is ignored; first place gets noticed. Key Takeaway Aim for excellence to be seen. Themes competition recognition ambition Mood determined hopeful Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - athletics - career advancement - personal branding Key Concepts selfworth visibility Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to seek the top? - How do you handle the spotlight? A Different Perspective First place also brings pressure and scrutiny. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Second best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-best/) ## Related quotes > [I never felt like running away from my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paresh-rawal/i-never-felt-like-running-away-from-my-dreams/) [Paresh Rawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paresh-rawal/) > [From a young age, I felt like I was supposed to be the sort of female who is doing something strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aj-lee/from-a-young-age-i-felt-like-i-was-supposed-to-be-the-sort-of-female/) [AJ Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aj-lee/) > [I felt like I deserved a title shot a few times in the UFC and was kind of passed over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bader/i-felt-like-i-deserved-a-title-shot-a-few-times-in-the-ufc-and-was/) [Ryan Bader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bader/) > [“It felt like there was a whole world inside her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/it-felt-like-there-was-a-whole-world-inside-her/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [Аfter all the beats and rhymes, I felt like everybody around me was rapping and so I was like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremih/fter-all-the-beats-and-rhymes-i-felt-like-everybody-around-me-was/) [Jeremih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremih/) > [I always felt like something of an outsider. But I identified with people up on the screen. That made me feel like I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-perry/i-always-felt-like-something-of-an-outsider-but-i-identified-with/) [Luke Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-perry/) > [When I worked in Asia for a long time, I just felt like I needed a break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fala-chen/when-i-worked-in-asia-for-a-long-time-i-just-felt-like-i-needed-a/) [Fala Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fala-chen/) > [Once you're back on your feet - if you ever make it back on your feet - that's the ultimate achievement. I remember I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/once-you-re-back-on-your-feet-if-you-ever-make-it-back-on-your-feet/) [Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [Even the two times that I left, I never really felt like I left the band. It's very bizarre. It's like there's sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wakeman/even-the-two-times-that-i-left-i-never-really-felt-like-i-left-the/) [Rick Wakeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wakeman/) > [After my final Breaking Dawn scene, I felt like I could shoot up into the night sky and every pore of my body would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/after-my-final-breaking-dawn-scene-i-felt-like-i-could-shoot-up-into/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [It always felt like I had to be a realist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-tatum/it-always-felt-like-i-had-to-be-a-realist/) [Jack Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-tatum/) > [“We may not be alone, but I sure felt like we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-minkman/we-may-not-be-alone-but-i-sure-felt-like-we-are/) [Jen Minkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-minkman/) > [I have always felt like I was just sort of waiting to catch up to the rest of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dove-cameron/i-have-always-felt-like-i-was-just-sort-of-waiting-to-catch-up-to-the/) [Dove Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dove-cameron/) > [I think being a Texan - we sort of have that extra fire in us as a breed. I just felt like from day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/i-think-being-a-texan-we-sort-of-have-that-extra-fire-in-us-as-a/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [I always felt like I could hold my own with anybody, period. And I always have strived to do my best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wall/i-always-felt-like-i-could-hold-my-own-with-anybody-period-and-i/) [Paul Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wall/) ## More by Florence Griffith Joyner > [I don't always have the best eating habits. I like butter and ice cream. There are days when I should work out and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/i-don-t-always-have-the-best-eating-habits-i-like-butter-and-ice/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [I believe in the impossible because no one else does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/i-believe-in-the-impossible-because-no-one-else-does/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [I used to be teased for the way I wore my hair at school. I used to do things like wear a different-colored sock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/i-used-to-be-teased-for-the-way-i-wore-my-hair-at-school-i-used-to-do/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [When you first get a hill in sight, look at the top of it only once. Then imagine yourself at the bottom of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/when-you-first-get-a-hill-in-sight-look-at-the-top-of-it-only-once/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [Injuries made me a believer in cross-training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/injuries-made-me-a-believer-in-cross-training/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [I pray hard, work hard, and leave the rest to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/i-pray-hard-work-hard-and-leave-the-rest-to-god/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [The main reason I wanted to be successful was to get out of the ghetto. My parents helped direct my path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/the-main-reason-i-wanted-to-be-successful-was-to-get-out-of-the/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [I like being unconventional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/i-like-being-unconventional/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [Conventional is not for me. I like things that are uniquely Flo. I like being different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/conventional-is-not-for-me-i-like-things-that-are-uniquely-flo-i-like/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [That's what I'd like to do on the President's Council. Make sports and athletics available to every youth in America, not just one day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/that-s-what-i-d-like-to-do-on-the-president-s-council-make-sports-and/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [When anyone tells me I can't do anything, I'm just not listening anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/when-anyone-tells-me-i-can-t-do-anything-i-m-just-not-listening/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [If you want to run as fast as the men, you've got to train like the men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/if-you-want-to-run-as-fast-as-the-men-you-ve-got-to-train-like-the-men/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [I know what I have to do, and I'm going to do whatever it takes. If I do it, I'll come out a winner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/i-know-what-i-have-to-do-and-i-m-going-to-do-whatever-it-takes-if-i/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [I don't do drugs. I never have taken any drugs. I don't believe in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/i-don-t-do-drugs-i-never-have-taken-any-drugs-i-don-t-believe-in-them/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [I love working with kids, talking with them and listening to them. I always encourage kids to reach beyond their dreams. Don't try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/i-love-working-with-kids-talking-with-them-and-listening-to-them-i/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) [Explore all 27 Florence Griffith Joyner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) ## 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": "People don't pay much attention to you when you are second best. 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