--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was always harsh on myself as a player…" description: "\"I was always harsh on myself as a player and I am the same as a coach, but it's the only way I know how to improve.\" — Gennaro Gattuso" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/gennaro-gattuso-5972_coach_i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player_2982988.jpg" --- # I was always harsh on myself as a player and I am the same… ![“I was always harsh on myself as a player and I am the same as a coach, but it's the only way I know how to improve.” quote by Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/gennaro-gattuso-5972_coach_i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player_2982988.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/gennaro-gattuso-5972_coach_i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player_2982988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/gennaro-gattuso-5972_coach_i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player_2982988.jpg) > “I was always harsh on myself as a player and I am the same as a coach, but it's the only way I know how to improve.” [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑criticism drives improvement, but balance is needed to avoid burnout. **In simple terms:** Harsh self‑critique pushes growth. Key Takeaway Use tough feedback wisely. Themes self‑discipline performance coaching Mood motivational reflective Type sports self‑help When to use this quote - training sessions - team meetings - personal reflection Key Concepts sports psychology motivation personal development Questions to Reflect On - When is criticism constructive? - How can you soften self‑talk? A Different Perspective Excessive harshness can harm mental health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coach/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) ## Related quotes > [DQ's special. 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I've been in the playoffs, World Series, and I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-baylor/i-ve-been-in-just-about-every-situation-as-a-player-and-coach-and/) [Don Baylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-baylor/) > [For someone to believe in you, that's all you want as a player and as a coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwane-casey/for-someone-to-believe-in-you-that-s-all-you-want-as-a-player-and-as/) [Dwane Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwane-casey/) > [I never got it, even as a player, how a coach can cuss a player out or disrespect him and I'm a grown man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-jackson/i-never-got-it-even-as-a-player-how-a-coach-can-cuss-a-player-out-or/) [Mark Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-jackson/) > [The mentor thing is overblown to me. I'm going to coach the player. I'm not going to have another player coach the player. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-holmgren/the-mentor-thing-is-overblown-to-me-i-m-going-to-coach-the-player-i-m/) [Mike Holmgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-holmgren/) > [I have been a player and now I am the coach, so I understand both the roles well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-kumble/i-have-been-a-player-and-now-i-am-the-coach-so-i-understand-both-the/) [Anil Kumble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-kumble/) > [I love the trips that I've experienced as a player and a coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/i-love-the-trips-that-i-ve-experienced-as-a-player-and-a-coach/) [Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/) > [As a player and a coach, I've had plenty of great moments, but I've also experienced disappointments. The disappointments are not about self-doubt, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jupp-heynckes/as-a-player-and-a-coach-i-ve-had-plenty-of-great-moments-but-i-ve/) [Jupp Heynckes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jupp-heynckes/) > [“You shouldn’t try to play games with me because I’m not a player, I’m the coach.” ~ Cane”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-locke/you-shouldn-t-try-to-play-games-with-me-because-i-m-not-a-player-i-m/) [Adriana Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-locke/) ## More by Gennaro Gattuso > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [We have to be humble and respect our opponents who are stronger than us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/we-have-to-be-humble-and-respect-our-opponents-who-are-stronger-than/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [I'm objective because I tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-m-objective-because-i-tell-the-truth/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [We cannot have players who don't give their soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/we-cannot-have-players-who-don-t-give-their-soul/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [The world of football has given me more than I deserved. But you always think of your family first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/the-world-of-football-has-given-me-more-than-i-deserved-but-you/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [I pretend to be calm, it's not a word in my vocabulary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-pretend-to-be-calm-it-s-not-a-word-in-my-vocabulary/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes you change just to do something different, to improve the performance, lift the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/sometimes-you-change-just-to-do-something-different-to-improve-the/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Players have to let themselves be helped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/players-have-to-let-themselves-be-helped/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [It's important that everyone rows in the same direction because I need all my players, those who don't get much playing time too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/it-s-important-that-everyone-rows-in-the-same-direction-because-i/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [At Milan, Kaka used to work even when we had two or three days off. And our fitness coach, Daniele Tognaccini, made him run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/at-milan-kaka-used-to-work-even-when-we-had-two-or-three-days-off-and/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [If the glass is half-full or half-empty, it remains the same glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/if-the-glass-is-half-full-or-half-empty-it-remains-the-same-glass/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Many teams in Europe have no money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/many-teams-in-europe-have-no-money/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [As far as I am concerned, Donnarumma is one of the most important goalkeepers in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/as-far-as-i-am-concerned-donnarumma-is-one-of-the-most-important/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [In times of difficulty we all have to understand our responsibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/in-times-of-difficulty-we-all-have-to-understand-our-responsibilities/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [I am the coach, all I do is train the players who are put at my disposal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-the-coach-all-i-do-is-train-the-players-who-are-put-at-my/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) [Explore all 100 Gennaro Gattuso quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) ## More Coach quotes > [You get a new coach; you do things a little differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-manning/you-get-a-new-coach-you-do-things-a-little-differently/) [Archie Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-manning/) > [My coach, Robert Allen, helped me a lot. He had more influence on my growth as a player than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamarcus-aldridge/my-coach-robert-allen-helped-me-a-lot-he-had-more-influence-on-my/) [LaMarcus Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamarcus-aldridge/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Every coach in the league does an unbelievable job, and they're prepared and think you're going to outcoach people, or you think that you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d-antoni/every-coach-in-the-league-does-an-unbelievable-job-and-they-re/) [Mike D'Antoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d-antoni/) > [Everything I have experienced and learned in football led me towards one day becoming a coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-carlos/everything-i-have-experienced-and-learned-in-football-led-me-towards/) [Roberto Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-carlos/) > [Often, organizations don't know how good they have it with a player or coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-gundy/often-organizations-don-t-know-how-good-they-have-it-with-a-player-or/) [Jeff Van Gundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-gundy/) > [I was just putting way too much pressure on myself. I was just trying to get that validation from my dad. It got so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr/i-was-just-putting-way-too-much-pressure-on-myself-i-was-just-trying/) [Ken Griffey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr/) > [A lot of the kids gave a lot of positive feedback about if I ever became a coach, they would love to play in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/a-lot-of-the-kids-gave-a-lot-of-positive-feedback-about-if-i-ever/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [I think it's very important to have contact with the players that I will coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerardo-martino/i-think-it-s-very-important-to-have-contact-with-the-players-that-i/) [Gerardo Martino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerardo-martino/) > [Of course, it's always fun when you're winning and you have a great coach, great organization, great trainers, great strength staff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-gurley/of-course-it-s-always-fun-when-you-re-winning-and-you-have-a-great/) [Todd Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-gurley/) > [No one likes a change of coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-azpilicueta/no-one-likes-a-change-of-coach/) [Cesar Azpilicueta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-azpilicueta/) > [As far as being a coach, it's always fascinated me. It's a greater responsibility than most people give it credit for because you're dealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-prefontaine/as-far-as-being-a-coach-it-s-always-fascinated-me-it-s-a-greater/) [Steve Prefontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-prefontaine/) > [Mourinho is a great coach. He has told me he believes in me, both in person but also publicly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/memphis-depay/mourinho-is-a-great-coach-he-has-told-me-he-believes-in-me-both-in/) [Memphis Depay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/memphis-depay/) > [I've grown up playing for some incredible coaches, and I don't think anybody's ever been as fortunate as I have in terms of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brown/i-ve-grown-up-playing-for-some-incredible-coaches-and-i-don-t-think/) [Larry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brown/) [Browse all 2,963 Coach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coach/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was always harsh on myself as a player and I am the same as a coach, but it's the only way I know how to improve.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gennaro Gattuso" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player-and-i-am-the-same-as-a-coach/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coach" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player-and-i-am-the-same-as-a-coach/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/gennaro-gattuso-5972_coach_i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player_2982988.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/gennaro-gattuso-5972_coach_i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player_2982988.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/gennaro-gattuso-5972_coach_i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player_2982988.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was always harsh on myself as a player and I am the same as a coach, but it's the only way I know how to…” — Gennaro Gattuso", "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": "Gennaro Gattuso", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was always harsh on myself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player-and-i-am-the-same-as-a-coach/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-was-always-harsh-on-myself-as-a-player-and-i-am-the-same-as-a-coach/#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 } } ] } ```