--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a player leaving early, you always…" description: "\"As a player leaving early, you always look back and wonder what could have been. But you have to be happy with your decisions, because you ultimately h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/gilbert-arenas-3494_could-have-been_as-a-player-leaving-early-you-always-loo_1686962.png" --- # As a player leaving early, you always look back and wonder… ![“As a player leaving early, you always look back and wonder what could have been. But you have to be happy with your decisions, because you ultimately have to live with them.” quote by Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/gilbert-arenas-3494_could-have-been_as-a-player-leaving-early-you-always-loo_1686962.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/gilbert-arenas-3494_could-have-been_as-a-player-leaving-early-you-always-loo_1686962.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/gilbert-arenas-3494_could-have-been_as-a-player-leaving-early-you-always-loo_1686962.png) > “As a player leaving early, you always look back and wonder what could have been. But you have to be happy with your decisions, because you ultimately have to live with them.” [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on early exit from a game, urging acceptance of past choices and living with them. **In simple terms:** Accept past decisions and move forward. Key Takeaway Embrace your choices. Themes sports life decision‑making acceptance Mood reflective hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career transitions - personal reflection - decision analysis Key Concepts regret personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What decisions are you holding onto? - How can you reframe past choices positively? A Different Perspective People may struggle to truly accept past regrets. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [The days, months, and years eventually reveal, like a Polaroid, a clear picture of how significant events and decisions ultimately shape our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoda-kotb/the-days-months-and-years-eventually-reveal-like-a-polaroid-a-clear/) [Hoda Kotb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoda-kotb/) > [I'm not a what-if and could-have person. I'm happy with my decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kajol/i-m-not-a-what-if-and-could-have-person-i-m-happy-with-my-decisions/) [Kajol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kajol/) > [Independence is doing what you want to do, knowing that you're happy with the decisions you're making and that it's the best for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorja-smith/independence-is-doing-what-you-want-to-do-knowing-that-you-re-happy/) [Jorja Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorja-smith/) > [As long as I feel the love of the game and my health is good, I'm going to play. I don't want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-tuck/as-long-as-i-feel-the-love-of-the-game-and-my-health-is-good-i-m/) [Justin Tuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-tuck/) > [Leaving VERY early tomorrow on our second honeymoon. Secret destination but bring shorts and sunglasses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-drew/leaving-very-early-tomorrow-on-our-second-honeymoon-secret/) [Dr Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-drew/) > [My son is not wild about going back to Iraq, but he'd sure rather do that than sacrifice all that he and his fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-son-is-not-wild-about-going-back-to-iraq-but-he-d-sure-rather-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always arrive late at the office, but I make up for it by leaving early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/i-always-arrive-late-at-the-office-but-i-make-up-for-it-by-leaving/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [Thousands of years of ideological, philosophical and practical decisions were made. They altered the surface of the earth, the coordinates of our souls. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/thousands-of-years-of-ideological-philosophical-and-practical/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [There's always male roles I want to play. I'm so annoyed when I watch movies and go, "That could have been played by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/there-s-always-male-roles-i-want-to-play-i-m-so-annoyed-when-i-watch/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [From '86 until the summer of last year, wherever I went, people would say, You would have made a great James Bond! Weren't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/from-86-until-the-summer-of-last-year-wherever-i-went-people-would/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [Had I been brighter, the ladies been gentler, the Scotch been weaker, had the gods been kinder, had the dice been hotter, this could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/had-i-been-brighter-the-ladies-been-gentler-the-scotch-been-weaker/) [Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [I'm happy with my career but I could have been happier if I could have been treated like a champion should have been treated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-m-happy-with-my-career-but-i-could-have-been-happier-if-i-could/) [Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by Gilbert Arenas > [I lived in Washington longer than I have lived anywhere else, so it's considered home, even though I moved back to California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-lived-in-washington-longer-than-i-have-lived-anywhere-else-so-it-s/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [When I was little, I asked God if I could meet my mom just one more time, and my prayer was answered in 2001.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/when-i-was-little-i-asked-god-if-i-could-meet-my-mom-just-one-more/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [It's amazing and different being a celebrity in D.C.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/it-s-amazing-and-different-being-a-celebrity-in-d-c/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [They gave high fives to all the players who say like the most obvious textbook answers in the world. It's like after each game,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/they-gave-high-fives-to-all-the-players-who-say-like-the-most-obvious/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [I don't want to get married unless they change the marriage laws. You should have to sign a marriage contract for no more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-don-t-want-to-get-married-unless-they-change-the-marriage-laws-you/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [If you take away the last few years, from my last year in Washington, and you think about my career, there was nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/if-you-take-away-the-last-few-years-from-my-last-year-in-washington/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [How can I tell somebody, 'Don't shoot that shot' when I'm out there chunking 'em?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/how-can-i-tell-somebody-don-t-shoot-that-shot-when-i-m-out-there/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [I never imagined that I would see my face on the cover of an EA Sports videogame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-never-imagined-that-i-would-see-my-face-on-the-cover-of-an-ea/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [I was in honors classes in high school. I'd get an A on every test, but I had a 1.9 grade point average. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-was-in-honors-classes-in-high-school-i-d-get-an-a-on-every-test-but/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [I can't take a game-winner in practice. I can't shoot free throws in practice that simulates the game. There's no crowd; there's no nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-can-t-take-a-game-winner-in-practice-i-can-t-shoot-free-throws-in/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [I always try to find something funny in any situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-always-try-to-find-something-funny-in-any-situation/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [I have the mind-set that a guard can't stick me. So I watch the bigs and see how they like to play. If you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-have-the-mind-set-that-a-guard-can-t-stick-me-so-i-watch-the-bigs/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [When you blink, you're on the back end of your career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/when-you-blink-you-re-on-the-back-end-of-your-career/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [I hate it when you see talented teams with a lot of scorers and they can't get along with each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-hate-it-when-you-see-talented-teams-with-a-lot-of-scorers-and-they/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [I used to practice those trampoline dunks back at Golden State. I can flip and everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-used-to-practice-those-trampoline-dunks-back-at-golden-state-i-can/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) [Explore all 128 Gilbert Arenas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) ## More Could have been quotes > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I'm happy with my career but I could have been happier if I could have been treated like a champion should have been treated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-m-happy-with-my-career-but-i-could-have-been-happier-if-i-could/) [Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [Had I been brighter, the ladies been gentler, the Scotch been weaker, had the gods been kinder, had the dice been hotter, this could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/had-i-been-brighter-the-ladies-been-gentler-the-scotch-been-weaker/) [Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/) > [From '86 until the summer of last year, wherever I went, people would say, You would have made a great James Bond! Weren't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/from-86-until-the-summer-of-last-year-wherever-i-went-people-would/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [There's always male roles I want to play. I'm so annoyed when I watch movies and go, "That could have been played by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/there-s-always-male-roles-i-want-to-play-i-m-so-annoyed-when-i-watch/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [Thousands of years of ideological, philosophical and practical decisions were made. They altered the surface of the earth, the coordinates of our souls. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/thousands-of-years-of-ideological-philosophical-and-practical/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [You obviously don't know what an Old Man of the Sea great wealth is. It is not a fat purse and time to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/you-obviously-don-t-know-what-an-old-man-of-the-sea-great-wealth-is/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [At the beginning of my TV and movie stuff, I would be really critical of myself, but I've gotten better and better. There's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mireille-enos/at-the-beginning-of-my-tv-and-movie-stuff-i-would-be-really-critical/) [Mireille Enos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mireille-enos/) > [The Providence that watches over the affairs of men works out of their mistakes, at times, a healthier issue than could have been accomplished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anthony-froude/the-providence-that-watches-over-the-affairs-of-men-works-out-of/) [James Anthony Froude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anthony-froude/) > [To suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/to-suppose-that-the-eye-could-have-been-formed-by-natural-selection/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Sometimes you have to look into a mirror and look at the worst you could have been if you're ever going to know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/sometimes-you-have-to-look-into-a-mirror-and-look-at-the-worst-you/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [When the landscape buckles and jerks around, when a dust column of debris rises from the collapse of a block of buildings on bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/when-the-landscape-buckles-and-jerks-around-when-a-dust-column-of/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Watercolour could have been used more by the modernists. It is so direct, and when the white paper convention is accepted, so powerful, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milne/watercolour-could-have-been-used-more-by-the-modernists-it-is-so/) [David Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milne/) Browse all 271 Could have been quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a player leaving early, you always look back and wonder what could have been. 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