---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You play the game to win things, and if…"
description: "\"You play the game to win things, and if you asked me whether I would want to finish in the top four or win the FA Cup, it'd be FA Cup every time.\" — Ga..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/gareth-barry-7299_finish_you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-y_2063913.png"
---

#  You play the game to win things, and if you asked me…

![“You play the game to win things, and if you asked me whether I would want to finish in the top four or win the FA Cup, it'd be FA Cup every time.” quote by Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/gareth-barry-7299_finish_you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-y_2063913.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/gareth-barry-7299_finish_you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-y_2063913.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/gareth-barry-7299_finish_you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-y_2063913.png)

> “You play the game to win things, and if you asked me whether I would want to finish in the top four or win the FA Cup, it'd be FA Cup every time.”

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

## About This Quote

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

Winning the most prestigious trophy outweighs any other achievement.

**In simple terms:** FA Cup is the ultimate goal.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize the highest honor.

Themes

competition ambition prioritization

Mood

determined focused

Type

motivational strategic

When to use this quote

- team selection
- career planning
- season objectives
- personal branding

Key Concepts

sports goalsetting legacy

Questions to Reflect On

- What does ultimate success look like for you?
- How do you balance ambition with teamwork?

A Different Perspective

May undervalue other valuable successes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Win](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/win/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm not here to finish last, I'm here to win championships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cora/i-m-not-here-to-finish-last-i-m-here-to-win-championships/)

[Alex Cora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cora/)

> [I want to score in every game and win things. That's the most important thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-rooney/i-want-to-score-in-every-game-and-win-things-that-s-the-most/)

[Wayne Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-rooney/)

> [Go Fast! Go Hard! Finish! And Win the Day!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/go-fast-go-hard-finish-and-win-the-day/)

[Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/)

> [You sign up to play the game, and you win and you lose, and these are things that can happen on any day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/you-sign-up-to-play-the-game-and-you-win-and-you-lose-and-these-are/)

[Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/)

> [You only fail if you don't finish the game. If you finish you win. You have to measure what you started out with by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-webster/you-only-fail-if-you-don-t-finish-the-game-if-you-finish-you-win-you/)

[Mike Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-webster/)

> [I play every game to win, it is not in my nature to throw a game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heyneke-meyer/i-play-every-game-to-win-it-is-not-in-my-nature-to-throw-a-game/)

Heyneke Meyer

> [If marathoners finish they win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-sheehan/if-marathoners-finish-they-win/)

[George A. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-sheehan/)

> [For me, you play the game to win, and it's only as simple as that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-kuechly/for-me-you-play-the-game-to-win-and-it-s-only-as-simple-as-that/)

[Luke Kuechly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-kuechly/)

> [I play this game to win Super Bowls and be a Hall of Famer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-veon-bell/i-play-this-game-to-win-super-bowls-and-be-a-hall-of-famer/)

[Le'Veon Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-veon-bell/)

> [I play this game to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-cano/i-play-this-game-to-win/)

[Robinson Cano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-cano/)

> [I play this game to win. And I play this game to have success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-pham/i-play-this-game-to-win-and-i-play-this-game-to-have-success/)

[Tommy Pham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-pham/)

> [We play the game to win. Win games and get into the playoffs and get into the Super Bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordy-nelson/we-play-the-game-to-win-win-games-and-get-into-the-playoffs-and-get/)

[Jordy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordy-nelson/)

> [Obviously, when you don't win, things have to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/obviously-when-you-don-t-win-things-have-to-change/)

[Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/)

> [I want to win, and if I have to play bad every game and win I will do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-fonte/i-want-to-win-and-if-i-have-to-play-bad-every-game-and-win-i-will-do/)

[Jose Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-fonte/)

> [This is the fight game, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artem-lobov/this-is-the-fight-game-sometimes-you-win-sometimes-you-lose/)

[Artem Lobov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artem-lobov/)

## More by Gareth Barry

> [Anything you're not in control of you can't be that comfortable with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/anything-you-re-not-in-control-of-you-can-t-be-that-comfortable-with/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [For me, Goodison is the toughest away ground to come to. I have experienced it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/for-me-goodison-is-the-toughest-away-ground-to-come-to-i-have/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [I used to say I preferred midfield because I enjoy trying to make goals, and scoring is a buzz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/i-used-to-say-i-preferred-midfield-because-i-enjoy-trying-to-make/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [My upbringing wasn't overly comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/my-upbringing-wasn-t-overly-comfortable/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [Confidence and momentum are huge in sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/confidence-and-momentum-are-huge-in-sport/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [I had my time in the England shirt and won a lot of caps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/i-had-my-time-in-the-england-shirt-and-won-a-lot-of-caps/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [I have a massive fear of going stale and falling into a comfort zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/i-have-a-massive-fear-of-going-stale-and-falling-into-a-comfort-zone/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [I treat the young boys as I wanted to be treated when I came through at Aston Villa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/i-treat-the-young-boys-as-i-wanted-to-be-treated-when-i-came-through/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [That's one thing that's been aimed at me since I was 17: a lack of pace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/that-s-one-thing-that-s-been-aimed-at-me-since-i-was-17-a-lack-of-pace/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [Any great club needs the mentality to go on and achieve things - it is what clubs like United have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/any-great-club-needs-the-mentality-to-go-on-and-achieve-things-it-is/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [The easy part, for me, is always playing my football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/the-easy-part-for-me-is-always-playing-my-football/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [As a younger player, I never really thought about where I should be on the field. It was just about doing a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/as-a-younger-player-i-never-really-thought-about-where-i-should-be-on/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [It was Martin O'Neill who said, 'You're a central midfielder.' He put faith into players. He was very clever at getting into players' heads,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/it-was-martin-o-neill-who-said-you-re-a-central-midfielder-he-put/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [British managers tend to be a bit more hands off, let you express yourself in training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/british-managers-tend-to-be-a-bit-more-hands-off-let-you-express/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

> [The England manager didn't think I was good enough, and as a professional, you have to take it. Sure, it was disappointing, but all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/the-england-manager-didn-t-think-i-was-good-enough-and-as-a/)

[Gareth Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

[Explore all 92 Gareth Barry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/)

## More Finish quotes

> [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/)

[Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/)

> [Children should finish school and even go to college if they can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fuller/children-should-finish-school-and-even-go-to-college-if-they-can/)

[Robert Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fuller/)

> [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It doesn't matter where you start but how you finish that matters!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-irick-rainford/it-doesn-t-matter-where-you-start-but-how-you-finish-that-matters/)

Valerie Irick Rainford

> [Whenever I finish a film, I feel that this is the worst film that I have made. This is bound to happen because while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/whenever-i-finish-a-film-i-feel-that-this-is-the-worst-film-that-i/)

[Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/)

> [When I finish my career, I can look back and then decide if it was good or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-henderson/when-i-finish-my-career-i-can-look-back-and-then-decide-if-it-was/)

[Jordan Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-henderson/)

> [I've enjoyed my time at every club I have worked at, I've been lucky, but I won't jump in and finish up working with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-redknapp/i-ve-enjoyed-my-time-at-every-club-i-have-worked-at-i-ve-been-lucky/)

[Harry Redknapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-redknapp/)

> [“Do it well, finish it properly, and move on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eunice-kennedy-shriver/do-it-well-finish-it-properly-and-move-on/)

[Eunice Kennedy Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eunice-kennedy-shriver/)

> [Not everyone who started with you will finish with you. Be willing to go without them if you have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gaskins/not-everyone-who-started-with-you-will-finish-with-you-be-willing-to/)

[Tony Gaskins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gaskins/)

> [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Call me old-fashioned, but it's always been my firm belief that a teacher's job should be for each of his or her students to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/call-me-old-fashioned-but-it-s-always-been-my-firm-belief-that-a/)

[Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/)

> [If it is possible I want to finish my career at Manchester United.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-ji-sung/if-it-is-possible-i-want-to-finish-my-career-at-manchester-united/)

[Park Ji-sung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-ji-sung/)

> [A lot of times, you finish a movie, and you're either going, 'Oh, thank God, that's over,' or 'Oh, my God, it's over, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyck-godfrey/a-lot-of-times-you-finish-a-movie-and-you-re-either-going-oh-thank/)

[Wyck Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyck-godfrey/)

> [I used to review games on 'The Totally Rad Show,' and the best thing about that was I would finish games. Now, it's become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-trachtenberg/i-used-to-review-games-on-the-totally-rad-show-and-the-best-thing/)

[Dan Trachtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-trachtenberg/)

> [“Winners run through the finish line. End your day with passion and enthusiasm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-bellah/winners-run-through-the-finish-line-end-your-day-with-passion-and/)

[Butch Bellah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-bellah/)

Browse all 1,526 Finish quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You play the game to win things, and if you asked me whether I would want to finish in the top four or win the FA Cup, it'd be FA Cup every time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gareth Barry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-you-asked-me-whether-i-would/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Finish"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-you-asked-me-whether-i-would/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/gareth-barry-7299_finish_you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-y_2063913.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/gareth-barry-7299_finish_you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-y_2063913.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/gareth-barry-7299_finish_you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-y_2063913.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You play the game to win things, and if you asked me whether I would want to finish in the top four or win…” — Gareth Barry",
                "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": "Gareth Barry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-barry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You play the game to win...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-you-asked-me-whether-i-would/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-barry/you-play-the-game-to-win-things-and-if-you-asked-me-whether-i-would/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
