--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Competition is a tough weed, not a…" description: "\"Competition is a tough weed, not a delicate flower.\" — George Stigler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/george-stigler-19624_competition_competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delica_2455477.jpg" --- # Competition is a tough weed, not a delicate flower. ![“Competition is a tough weed, not a delicate flower.” quote by George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/george-stigler-19624_competition_competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delica_2455477.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/george-stigler-19624_competition_competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delica_2455477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/george-stigler-19624_competition_competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delica_2455477.jpg) > “Competition is a tough weed, not a delicate flower.” [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Competition can dominate and stifle, rather than nurture delicate growth. **In simple terms:** Competition is a harsh weed. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage aggressive competition. Themes competition power growth Mood cautious analytical Type advisory critical When to use this quote - business strategy - political campaigns - sports leagues - academic environments Key Concepts market dynamics dominance ecosystem Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn aggressive competition into positive outcomes? - When does competition become destructive? A Different Perspective Competition may also spur innovation if channeled constructively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Competition Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition-tough-605267/) [Delicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delicate/) [Delicate flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delicate-flower/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough/) [Tough Weed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough-weed-605268/) [Weed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weed/) [Weed Delicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weed-delicate-605269/) ## Related quotes > [... love is too delicate a flower to rise again when one has trampled it under foot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/love-is-too-delicate-a-flower-to-rise-again-when-one-has-trampled-it/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/creativity-is-so-delicate-a-flower-that-praise-tends-to-make-it-bloom/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [My friend jewelry designer Courtney Crangi has been obsessed with Star Wars all her life and has seen the movies 150 times. When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/my-friend-jewelry-designer-courtney-crangi-has-been-obsessed-with/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [I saw a delicate flower had grown up two feet high between the horses' feet and the wheel trach. An inch more to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-saw-a-delicate-flower-had-grown-up-two-feet-high-between-the-horses/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What troubles me about the "hostile workplace" category of sexual harassment policy is that women are being returned to their old status of delicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/what-troubles-me-about-the-hostile-workplace-category-of-sexual/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Faith is not a delicate flower which would wither away under the slightest stormy weather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/faith-is-not-a-delicate-flower-which-would-wither-away-under-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Nick spoke for the first time. "Can I go to the nurse's office too?" Ms. Popplewell looked at him It obviously took her only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/nick-spoke-for-the-first-time-can-i-go-to-the-nurse-s-office-too-ms/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“Violet, the soft, delicate flower that is stronger than steel. Strong enough to support everyone around her. But are you strong enough to fix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/violet-the-soft-delicate-flower-that-is-stronger-than-steel-strong/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [You have to work to keep love alive; you have to protect it and maintain it, just like you would a delicate flower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dobson/you-have-to-work-to-keep-love-alive-you-have-to-protect-it-and/) [James Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dobson/) > [Civilization has ceased to be that delicate flower which was preserved and painstakingly cultivated in one or two sheltered areas of a soil rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-levi-strauss/civilization-has-ceased-to-be-that-delicate-flower-which-was/) [Claude Levi-Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-levi-strauss/) > [The competition is tough at the international level. There are very good players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-v-sindhu/the-competition-is-tough-at-the-international-level-there-are-very/) [P. V. Sindhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-v-sindhu/) > [Deep inside, I was hoping I'd win: The competition was tough, but I learned from other's mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nafisa-joseph/deep-inside-i-was-hoping-i-d-win-the-competition-was-tough-but-i/) [Nafisa Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nafisa-joseph/) > [The Premier League is a very difficult competition, it's so tough and complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deco/the-premier-league-is-a-very-difficult-competition-it-s-so-tough-and/) [Deco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deco/) > [I never believed that India could win a medal in badminton because the competition is so tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saina-nehwal/i-never-believed-that-india-could-win-a-medal-in-badminton-because/) [Saina Nehwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saina-nehwal/) > [It hasn't been hard getting nominated, but winning it is another thing. The competition is tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-burton/it-hasn-t-been-hard-getting-nominated-but-winning-it-is-another-thing/) [Gary Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-burton/) ## More by George Stigler > [...the number of saintly men has not yet risen to the level where the census makes them a separate statistical category.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/the-number-of-saintly-men-has-not-yet-risen-to-the-level-where-the/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [Mathematics has no symbols for confused ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/mathematics-has-no-symbols-for-confused-ideas/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [Two years later, I went to the University of Minnesota from which I was on leave for several years during the war as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/two-years-later-i-went-to-the-university-of-minnesota-from-which-i/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [All great economists are tall. There are two exceptions: John Kenneth Galbraith and Milton Friedman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/all-great-economists-are-tall-there-are-two-exceptions-john-kenneth/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [I met my wife, Margaret L. Mack, at the University of Chicago. We were married in 1936. She died in 1970.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/i-met-my-wife-margaret-l-mack-at-the-university-of-chicago-we-were/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [It was in the 1960s that I began the detailed study of public regulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/it-was-in-the-1960s-that-i-began-the-detailed-study-of-public/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [The Chicago Economics Department was in intellectual ferment, although the central issues of the 1930's were very different from those in later times. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/the-chicago-economics-department-was-in-intellectual-ferment-although/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [My interests were aroused, and my faith in the cliches of the subject destroyed, as so often with other subjects, by the discussions with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/my-interests-were-aroused-and-my-faith-in-the-cliches-of-the-subject/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [...it is distressing how often one can guess the answer given to an economic question merely by knowing who asks it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/it-is-distressing-how-often-one-can-guess-the-answer-given-to-an/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [In 1958, I came to Chicago where I have remained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/in-1958-i-came-to-chicago-where-i-have-remained/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [Stigler's Law: No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/stigler-s-law-no-scientific-discovery-is-named-after-its-original/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [I attended schools in Seattle through the University of Washington, from which I was graduated in 1931. I spent the next year at Northwestern University.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/i-attended-schools-in-seattle-through-the-university-of-washington/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [There is only one social science and we are its practitioners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/there-is-only-one-social-science-and-we-are-its-practitioners/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [I started working and publishing in price theory by 1938.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/i-started-working-and-publishing-in-price-theory-by-1938/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [Adam Smith had one overwhelmingly important triumph: he put into the center of economics the systematic analysis of the behavior of individuals pursuing their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/adam-smith-had-one-overwhelmingly-important-triumph-he-put-into-the/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) [Explore all 32 George Stigler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) ## More Competition quotes > [The Copa del Rey is a different competition. It is football in its purest form and is different from the continuity of the league.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-laudrup/the-copa-del-rey-is-a-different-competition-it-is-football-in-its/) [Michael Laudrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-laudrup/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [People think that the Club World Cup is an easy competition, but it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keylor-navas/people-think-that-the-club-world-cup-is-an-easy-competition-but-it-s/) [Keylor Navas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keylor-navas/) > [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/) [Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/) > [“At times, competition can be a good thing. But a person's value isn't something that can be ranked, is it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hotaru-odagiri/at-times-competition-can-be-a-good-thing-but-a-person-s-value-isn-t/) [Hotaru Odagiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hotaru-odagiri/) > [Our competition has always been anything that is wasting your time when you're bored at work. In a broad sense. We want people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/our-competition-has-always-been-anything-that-is-wasting-your-time/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [I've always considered making it legal for Americans to import their prescription drugs a free-trade issue. Imports create competition and keep domestic industry more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-grassley/i-ve-always-considered-making-it-legal-for-americans-to-import-their/) [Chuck Grassley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-grassley/) > [Honestly, we’ll compete with everybody. I love competition. As long as people invent their own stuff, I love competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/honestly-we-ll-compete-with-everybody-i-love-competition-as-long-as/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) > [I try to keep up with everything - all wrestling across the board. I want to know what the competition is doing, what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hardy/i-try-to-keep-up-with-everything-all-wrestling-across-the-board-i/) [Matt Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hardy/) > [Sometimes in England, people look down at the Europa League, but being from the continent, I've always realised what an important competition it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mignolet/sometimes-in-england-people-look-down-at-the-europa-league-but-being/) [Simon Mignolet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mignolet/) > [“There is a scene in one of the Rocky movies where after the match Apollo Creed and Rocky are waiting for the scoring of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-passaro/there-is-a-scene-in-one-of-the-rocky-movies-where-after-the-match/) [John A. Passaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-passaro/) > [I've always written. When I was in school, the only teacher who ever liked me was my creative writing teacher. I used to enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-townes-earle/i-ve-always-written-when-i-was-in-school-the-only-teacher-who-ever/) [Justin Townes Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-townes-earle/) > [Competition between men is a fuel that's useful to us. We have to be careful that it doesn't tell the same story over too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-irwin/competition-between-men-is-a-fuel-that-s-useful-to-us-we-have-to-be/) [Bill Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-irwin/) [Browse all 3,894 Competition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Competition is a tough weed, not a delicate flower.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Stigler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delicate-flower/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Competition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delicate-flower/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/george-stigler-19624_competition_competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delica_2455477.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/george-stigler-19624_competition_competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delica_2455477.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/george-stigler-19624_competition_competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delica_2455477.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Competition is a tough weed, not a delicate flower.” — George Stigler", "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": "George Stigler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Competition is a tough weed, not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delicate-flower/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/competition-is-a-tough-weed-not-a-delicate-flower/#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 } } ] } ```