--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yes: the race is long—to finish first…" description: "\"“Yes: the race is long—to finish first, first you must finish.”\" — Garth Stein" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/garth-stein-1965_finish_yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-fir_1798299.png" --- # Yes: the race is long—to finish first, first you must… ![“Yes: the race is long—to finish first, first you must finish.” quote by Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/garth-stein-1965_finish_yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-fir_1798299.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/garth-stein-1965_finish_yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-fir_1798299.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/garth-stein-1965_finish_yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-fir_1798299.png) > ““Yes: the race is long—to finish first, first you must finish.”” [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success requires completing the race before aiming to be first; finishing is a prerequisite for victory. **In simple terms:** Finish before you aim to win Key Takeaway Prioritize completion over premature ambition Themes competition process achievement Mood pragmatic encouraging Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - sports - career projects - academic work Key Concepts goal setting perseverance focus Questions to Reflect On - What steps ensure you finish your tasks? - How do you balance speed and quality? A Different Perspective Finishing may not guarantee being first; other factors matter ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [“the race is long—to finish first, first you must finish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-first-you-must-finish/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“The race is long. To finish first, you must first finish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-you-must-first-finish/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“Yes: the race is long-to finish first, first you must finish. ~p206”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-first-you-must-finish-p206/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [ \[T\]he race is long - to finish first, first you must finish. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/t-he-race-is-long-to-finish-first-first-you-must-finish/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [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/) > [“Hey, you didn’t let me finish.” “Finish what?” “Finish telling you that I love you too.” I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/hey-you-didn-t-let-me-finish-finish-what-finish-telling-you-that-i/) [Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/) > [The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the other than it is to drive too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/the-race-is-long-it-is-better-to-drive-within-oneself-and-finish-the/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the others than it is to drive too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/the-race-is-long-it-is-better-to-drive-within-oneself-and-finish-the-2/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [To finish first, you must first finish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mears/to-finish-first-you-must-first-finish/) [Rick Mears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mears/) > [To finish first you have to first finish. Don't get in a position where you go back to go. What's interesting is that some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/to-finish-first-you-have-to-first-finish-don-t-get-in-a-position/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [If Arsenal don't finish third, they might not finish in third place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-martin/if-arsenal-don-t-finish-third-they-might-not-finish-in-third-place/) [Alvin Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-martin/) > [I'm glad that, despite everything, I was able to get work done and finish something. I never finish anything. So just being able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-cole-smith/i-m-glad-that-despite-everything-i-was-able-to-get-work-done-and/) [Zachary Cole Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-cole-smith/) > [In order to finish first, you first have to finish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stirling-moss/in-order-to-finish-first-you-first-have-to-finish/) [Stirling Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stirling-moss/) > [Don't waste your time on jealousy, sometimes you're behind, sometimes you're ahead. The race is long but in the end, it's only with yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-sunscreen-song/don-t-waste-your-time-on-jealousy-sometimes-you-re-behind-sometimes/) The Sunscreen Song > [“Don't waste your time with jealousy. Some times your ahead, some times your behind. The race is long and in the end, it's only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baz-luhrmann/don-t-waste-your-time-with-jealousy-some-times-your-ahead-some-times/) [Baz Luhrmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baz-luhrmann/) ## More by Garth Stein > [What I want now is what I've always wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/what-i-want-now-is-what-i-ve-always-wanted/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“Man's closest relative is not the chimpanzee, as the TV people believe, but is, in fact, the dog. "Enzo" I admire the female sex.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/man-s-closest-relative-is-not-the-chimpanzee-as-the-tv-people-believe/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“There is no dishonor in losing the race, Don said. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose. ~p 227”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/there-is-no-dishonor-in-losing-the-race-don-said-there-is-only/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [It’s so hard to communicate because there are so many moving parts. There’s presentation and there’s interpretation and they’re so dependent on each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/it-s-so-hard-to-communicate-because-there-are-so-many-moving-parts/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“This is what I love to do: I love to run through a field of wet grass that has not been mowed recently, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/this-is-what-i-love-to-do-i-love-to-run-through-a-field-of-wet-grass/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/there-is-no-dishonor-in-losing-the-race-there-is-only-dishonor-in-not/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [In racing, they say that your car goes where your eyes go. The driver who cannot tear his eyes away from the wall as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/in-racing-they-say-that-your-car-goes-where-your-eyes-go-the-driver/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [When I return to the world, I will be a man. I will walk among you. I will lick my lips with my small,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/when-i-return-to-the-world-i-will-be-a-man-i-will-walk-among-you-i/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [My soul has learned what it came to learn, and all the other things are just things. We can't have everything we want. Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/my-soul-has-learned-what-it-came-to-learn-and-all-the-other-things/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [I hear hundreds of years of life. I hear wind and rain and fire and beetles. I hear the seasons changing and birds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-hear-hundreds-of-years-of-life-i-hear-wind-and-rain-and-fire-and/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“What I have always liked best is when he talks about having no memory. No memory of things he'd done just a second before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/what-i-have-always-liked-best-is-when-he-talks-about-having-no-memory/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“Know who is driving next to you. Any problems that may occur have ultimately been caused by you, because you are responsible for where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/know-who-is-driving-next-to-you-any-problems-that-may-occur-have/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“Pretend you are a dog like me and listen to other people rather than steal their stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/pretend-you-are-a-dog-like-me-and-listen-to-other-people-rather-than/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/that-which-we-manifest-is-before-us-we-are-the-creators-of-our-own/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the other than it is to drive too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/the-race-is-long-it-is-better-to-drive-within-oneself-and-finish-the/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) [Explore all 187 Garth Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) ## 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": "“Yes: the race is long—to finish first, first you must finish.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Garth Stein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-first-you-must-finish/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Finish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-first-you-must-finish/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/garth-stein-1965_finish_yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-fir_1798299.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/garth-stein-1965_finish_yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-fir_1798299.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/garth-stein-1965_finish_yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-fir_1798299.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yes: the race is long—to finish first, first you must finish.” — Garth Stein", "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": "Garth Stein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Yes: the race is long—to finish...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-first-you-must-finish/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/yes-the-race-is-long-to-finish-first-first-you-must-finish/#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 } } ] } ```