--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing I shall talk about is my…" description: "\"The only thing I shall talk about is my sporting achievements at school. My primary sporting achievement at school was that I dodged games for two comp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/john-hume-17639_achievement_the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my_1447361.png" --- # The only thing I shall talk about is my sporting… ![“The only thing I shall talk about is my sporting achievements at school. My primary sporting achievement at school was that I dodged games for two complete years and was well through the third year before they discovered that I had completely avoided all games” quote by John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/john-hume-17639_achievement_the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my_1447361.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/john-hume-17639_achievement_the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my_1447361.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/john-hume-17639_achievement_the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my_1447361.png) > “The only thing I shall talk about is my sporting achievements at school. My primary sporting achievement at school was that I dodged games for two complete years and was well through the third year before they discovered that I had completely avoided all games” [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker highlights a personal history of avoiding school sports, emphasizing a pattern of evasion over achievement. **In simple terms:** Avoided school sports for years. Key Takeaway Recognize avoidance patterns. Themes self-awareness avoidance school life Mood reflective critical Type personal anecdotal When to use this quote - academic life - team sports - personal growth - peer pressure Key Concepts behavioral patterns self-reflection Questions to Reflect On - Why did you avoid sports? - What could change that pattern? A Different Perspective Avoidance may limit social development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Sporting achievements bestow a sense of unification on the cultures and societies in which they take place and create an outpouring of nationalism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-attias/sporting-achievements-bestow-a-sense-of-unification-on-the-cultures/) [Richard Attias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-attias/) > [“There is nothing so momentary as a sporting achievement, and nothing so lasting as the memory of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-dening/there-is-nothing-so-momentary-as-a-sporting-achievement-and-nothing/) Greg Dening > [For me it's my biggest sporting achievement being Conor McGregor's sparring partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artem-lobov/for-me-it-s-my-biggest-sporting-achievement-being-conor-mcgregor-s/) [Artem Lobov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artem-lobov/) > [Why do we place such a disproportionate emphasis on sporting achievement? Why doesn't success in other fields receive similar attention... Maybe it's because in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-freedman/why-do-we-place-such-a-disproportionate-emphasis-on-sporting/) Mia Freedman > [If in the words which the Secretary of State has just used, the use of a nuclear weapon is to be avoided 'at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/if-in-the-words-which-the-secretary-of-state-has-just-used-the-use-of/) [Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/) > [“Adversity Isn’t to Be Avoided”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-anthony-smith/adversity-isn-t-to-be-avoided/) [Miles Anthony Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-anthony-smith/) > [I've always avoided publicity. I've never been good copy at any stage of my life. I don't strive for it, because I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/i-ve-always-avoided-publicity-i-ve-never-been-good-copy-at-any-stage/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [Specialness as a primary mode of death transcendence takes a number of other maladaptive forms. The drive for power is not uncommonly motivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/specialness-as-a-primary-mode-of-death-transcendence-takes-a-number/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Usually I avoided college students, whom I considered brutal, wrapped up in themselves, particularly in their youth, in which they found material for drama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/usually-i-avoided-college-students-whom-i-considered-brutal-wrapped/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I read actual physical books and have thus far avoided the electronic lure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-read-actual-physical-books-and-have-thus-far-avoided-the-electronic/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“war is not so to be avoided, but is only deferred to your disadvantage”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/war-is-not-so-to-be-avoided-but-is-only-deferred-to-your-disadvantage/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Naive optimism and pervasive pessimism are both to be avoided, therefore. It's not an easy balance to maintain, to be asked to work away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/naive-optimism-and-pervasive-pessimism-are-both-to-be-avoided/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [Poetry in love is no more to be avoided than jealousy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/poetry-in-love-is-no-more-to-be-avoided-than-jealousy/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [Among many other weighty objections to the Measure, it has been suggested, that it has a tendency to introduce religious disputes into the Army,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/among-many-other-weighty-objections-to-the-measure-it-has-been/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I avoided nudity unless a film couldn't be told without those scenes. If you look at my films, few of them have that element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-scacchi/i-avoided-nudity-unless-a-film-couldn-t-be-told-without-those-scenes/) [Greta Scacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-scacchi/) ## More by John Hume > [In coming to that agreement, my party had a clear philosophy throughout. In Northern Ireland, we should have institutions that respected the differences of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/in-coming-to-that-agreement-my-party-had-a-clear-philosophy/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [I never thought in terms of being a leader. I thought very simply in terms of helping people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/i-never-thought-in-terms-of-being-a-leader-i-thought-very-simply-in/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [In working class districts, you had several families living together in the one house, and it was very difficult to get a house, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/in-working-class-districts-you-had-several-families-living-together/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [All conflict is about difference; whether the difference is race religion, or nationality...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/all-conflict-is-about-difference-whether-the-difference-is-race/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [“You are the generation that will be leading in the new century and the new millennium, so the challenge is to make sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/you-are-the-generation-that-will-be-leading-in-the-new-century-and/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [Every child growing up will look to their parents, my mother and my father. My grandmother lived with us. I picked up quite a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/every-child-growing-up-will-look-to-their-parents-my-mother-and-my/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [The basis of peace and stability, in any society, has to be the fullest respect for the human rights of all its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/the-basis-of-peace-and-stability-in-any-society-has-to-be-the-fullest/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [In my opinion, what changed the situation eventually - and, of course, it took a lot of time to change it, things like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/in-my-opinion-what-changed-the-situation-eventually-and-of-course-it/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [“Difference is the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth, and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/difference-is-the-essence-of-humanity-difference-is-an-accident-of/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [I think that's not a question that one can answer accurately. I read a whole range of books, quite a lot of history at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/i-think-that-s-not-a-question-that-one-can-answer-accurately-i-read-a/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [That's the strategy that myself and my party have pursued and are pursuing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/that-s-the-strategy-that-myself-and-my-party-have-pursued-and-are/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [The violence had broken out in both sides, but our philosophy as a party was very, very clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/the-violence-had-broken-out-in-both-sides-but-our-philosophy-as-a/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [“We're much closer together in the world today than we were in the past. Given that it is a much smaller world, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/we-re-much-closer-together-in-the-world-today-than-we-were-in-the/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [They believed that Britain was in Ireland defending their own interests, therefore the Irish had the right to use violence to put them out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/they-believed-that-britain-was-in-ireland-defending-their-own/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [My father was a civil servant, fairly sort of middle ranking, low to middle ranking. He worked almost entirely in what was then called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/my-father-was-a-civil-servant-fairly-sort-of-middle-ranking-low-to/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) [Explore all 36 John Hume quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) ## More Achievement quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been to redistribute rather than to generate wealth and income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-main-substantive-achievement-of-neoliberalism-has-been-to/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“If you find a way where there seems to be no way, that’s what we call miracle, not personal achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/if-you-find-a-way-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way-that-s-what-we-call/) [Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) Nicholas Roerich > [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) [Browse all 3,867 Achievement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only thing I shall talk about is my sporting achievements at school. My primary sporting achievement at school was that I dodged games for two complete years and was well through the third year before they discovered that I had completely avoided all games", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Hume" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my-sporting-achievements-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Achievement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my-sporting-achievements-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/john-hume-17639_achievement_the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my_1447361.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/john-hume-17639_achievement_the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my_1447361.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/john-hume-17639_achievement_the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my_1447361.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only thing I shall talk about is my sporting achievements at school. My primary sporting achievement at…” — John Hume", "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": "John Hume", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only thing I shall talk...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my-sporting-achievements-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/the-only-thing-i-shall-talk-about-is-my-sporting-achievements-at/#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 } } ] } ```