--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I kind of got down on myself, and started…" description: "\"I kind of got down on myself, and started putting all this pressure on myself to go out there and play well. And that's when I was playing my worst.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/grayson-allen-12984_go_i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started_1844684.jpg" --- # I kind of got down on myself, and started putting all this… ![“I kind of got down on myself, and started putting all this pressure on myself to go out there and play well. And that's when I was playing my worst.” quote by Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/grayson-allen-12984_go_i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started_1844684.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/grayson-allen-12984_go_i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started_1844684.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/grayson-allen-12984_go_i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started_1844684.jpg) > “I kind of got down on myself, and started putting all this pressure on myself to go out there and play well. And that's when I was playing my worst.” [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑imposed pressure led to poorer performance, highlighting the downside of over‑motivation. **In simple terms:** Pressure caused his worst play. Key Takeaway Balance pressure with confidence. Themes performance pressure self‑criticism Mood reflective cautious Type psychological athletic When to use this quote - competition - mental health - training regimens Key Concepts psychology sports dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does pressure affect your performance? - What strategies reduce self‑imposed pressure? A Different Perspective May ignore external factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-playing-1793992/) [Playing Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-worst-2377301/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Pressure Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure-play-504635/) [Putting Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putting-pressure-357264/) [Started Putting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-putting-2377302/) ## Related quotes > [Under pressure, I play best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-prince-boateng/under-pressure-i-play-best/) [Kevin-Prince Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-prince-boateng/) > [I will put pressure on myself to play good every game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/memphis-depay/i-will-put-pressure-on-myself-to-play-good-every-game/) [Memphis Depay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/memphis-depay/) > [I don't have pressure on me. I just put pressure on myself to play hard every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanley-ramirez/i-don-t-have-pressure-on-me-i-just-put-pressure-on-myself-to-play/) [Hanley Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanley-ramirez/) > [Ultimately I think I've just fallen into the trap over the years of putting too much pressure on something that really ultimately doesn't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-demetriou/ultimately-i-think-i-ve-just-fallen-into-the-trap-over-the-years-of/) [Jamie Demetriou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-demetriou/) > [It is about getting into the box more, being more clinical, the final pass. It is about really putting that pressure on myself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-mount/it-is-about-getting-into-the-box-more-being-more-clinical-the-final/) [Mason Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-mount/) > [Whatever it is you're doing, whether it's your career or a particular focus, if you're trying to be the best you can possibly be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-achatz/whatever-it-is-you-re-doing-whether-it-s-your-career-or-a-particular/) [Grant Achatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-achatz/) > [If you're not starting well and not taking the lead, then you're constantly putting pressure on yourself as a team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughton/if-you-re-not-starting-well-and-not-taking-the-lead-then-you-re/) [Chris Hughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughton/) > [I started putting myself in a bubble and it really affected me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/i-started-putting-myself-in-a-bubble-and-it-really-affected-me/) [Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/) > [I started putting stuff on YouTube and Myspace, and people started paying attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snow-tha-product/i-started-putting-stuff-on-youtube-and-myspace-and-people-started/) [Snow Tha Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snow-tha-product/) > [We started putting '2000' at the end of our name. That was in 1985, and 2000 seemed very futuristic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/we-started-putting-2000-at-the-end-of-our-name-that-was-in-1985-and/) [Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/) > [My life has been so much better ever since I started putting God first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-life-has-been-so-much-better-ever-since-i-started-putting-god-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I did what I think a lot of entrepreneurs do. I started putting up a lot of ads on Craigslist for interns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/i-did-what-i-think-a-lot-of-entrepreneurs-do-i-started-putting-up-a/) [Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/) > [“..:Play life's greatest games and face it's greatest challenges. But play it by playing your own game. Your own unique style and way. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-garcia/play-life-s-greatest-games-and-face-it-s-greatest-challenges-but-play/) [Rafael Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-garcia/) > [For me, the best rock is not what you play - it's what you're not playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/for-me-the-best-rock-is-not-what-you-play-it-s-what-you-re-not-playing/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [You might as well play at the show everyone else is playing at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-mascis/you-might-as-well-play-at-the-show-everyone-else-is-playing-at/) [J Mascis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-mascis/) ## More by Grayson Allen > [You don't want to put competitiveness and emotion away, so you learn to play with it. You learn to use it for your team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/you-don-t-want-to-put-competitiveness-and-emotion-away-so-you-learn/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [Something like missing a shot, and the next play you're thinking about it, or you give up a play on defense and you're thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/something-like-missing-a-shot-and-the-next-play-you-re-thinking-about/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [You probably know me best as a 4 year player, national champion, and graduate of Duke University, but I'm also a gamer, student, Christian,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/you-probably-know-me-best-as-a-4-year-player-national-champion-and/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [I think the NBA, they like competitive guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/i-think-the-nba-they-like-competitive-guys/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [Half of the basketball world thinks I'm this hothead, dirty player who can't get anything under control and probably thinks I'm arrogant and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/half-of-the-basketball-world-thinks-i-m-this-hothead-dirty-player-who/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [I think anyone who is also a fan of college basketball as well as the NBA, you have an opinion on Duke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/i-think-anyone-who-is-also-a-fan-of-college-basketball-as-well-as-the/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [It's nice to score 20 points a game. It's also nice to end your season with a win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/it-s-nice-to-score-20-points-a-game-it-s-also-nice-to-end-your-season/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [Duke has had many lightning rods over the years, it's a long list of 'em, a long list of white Duke basketball players that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/duke-has-had-many-lightning-rods-over-the-years-it-s-a-long-list-of/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [You don't go on nine-day road trips in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/you-don-t-go-on-nine-day-road-trips-in-college/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [Food is such a basic need, and it is unfathomable to me that people still do not have adequate access.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/food-is-such-a-basic-need-and-it-is-unfathomable-to-me-that-people/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [I'm confident about going out there and playing - playing with emotion, screaming and yelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/i-m-confident-about-going-out-there-and-playing-playing-with-emotion/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [From the time I started playing... When I tried out for a team in sixth grade and on - I was always starting through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/from-the-time-i-started-playing-when-i-tried-out-for-a-team-in-sixth/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [If I was doing something that I really, really enjoyed I want to be perfect at it and not make mistakes and do everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/if-i-was-doing-something-that-i-really-really-enjoyed-i-want-to-be/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [You think the end of my freshman year, from nobody really knowing who I was to skyrocketing onto the scene in the national championship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/you-think-the-end-of-my-freshman-year-from-nobody-really-knowing-who/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) > [I love being a Duke student, and continuing to be part of the university culture is something I don't take for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/i-love-being-a-duke-student-and-continuing-to-be-part-of-the/) [Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) [Explore all 52 Grayson Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/) ## More Go quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/) [Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/) > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [Unfortunately, we all go through bad phases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/unfortunately-we-all-go-through-bad-phases/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [I go out there and I work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-chubb/i-go-out-there-and-i-work/) [Nick Chubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-chubb/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [As much as you want to improve or help the team, as a centre-back your job is to go under the radar and keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrone-mings/as-much-as-you-want-to-improve-or-help-the-team-as-a-centre-back-your/) [Tyrone Mings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrone-mings/) > [I don't know what successful journaling really looks like... I think it really does look so different for everyone who does it, I'm always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-don-t-know-what-successful-journaling-really-looks-like-i-think-it/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [“Everywhere is home, let is go home”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzuco-hu-nh/everywhere-is-home-let-is-go-home/) [Dzuco Huỳnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzuco-hu-nh/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) [Browse all 23,138 Go quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I kind of got down on myself, and started putting all this pressure on myself to go out there and play well. And that's when I was playing my worst.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Grayson Allen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started-putting-all-this-pressure-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Go" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started-putting-all-this-pressure-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/grayson-allen-12984_go_i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started_1844684.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/grayson-allen-12984_go_i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started_1844684.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/grayson-allen-12984_go_i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started_1844684.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I kind of got down on myself, and started putting all this pressure on myself to go out there and play well…” — Grayson Allen", "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": "Grayson Allen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I kind of got down on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started-putting-all-this-pressure-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/i-kind-of-got-down-on-myself-and-started-putting-all-this-pressure-on/#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 } } ] } ```