--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There has been among us, particularly in…" description: "\"“There has been among us, particularly in America, an adolescent competitiveness—a feeling that life is a race in which the victory of one must mean th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/joshua-loth-liebman-35005_competition_there-has-been-among-us-particularly-in_2491400.jpg" --- # There has been among us, particularly in America, an… ![“There has been among us, particularly in America, an adolescent competitiveness—a feeling that life is a race in which the victory of one must mean the defeat of the other. No one can measure how much personal unhappiness and inner cowardice have come from this immaturity of our social outlook…” quote by Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/joshua-loth-liebman-35005_competition_there-has-been-among-us-particularly-in_2491400.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/joshua-loth-liebman-35005_competition_there-has-been-among-us-particularly-in_2491400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/joshua-loth-liebman-35005_competition_there-has-been-among-us-particularly-in_2491400.jpg) > ““There has been among us, particularly in America, an adolescent competitiveness—a feeling that life is a race in which the victory of one must mean the defeat of the other. No one can measure how much personal unhappiness and inner cowardice have come from this immaturity of our social outlook, this childlike comparison, this absurd rivalry in every area of life. As our democracy becomes more mature, men have a chance of growing up and of realizing that every person is needed and has some contribution to make.”” [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that seeing life as a zero‑sum race breeds unhappiness and cowardice; a mature democracy values each person's unique contribution. **In simple terms:** Seeing life as a race creates unhappiness; mature societies value everyone. Key Takeaway Embrace collaboration over competition. Themes competition self‑esteem democracy individuality maturity Mood reflective concerned Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - workplace teamwork - community projects - educational settings - political discourse Key Concepts social psychology collectivism human development Questions to Reflect On - How does rivalry affect your well‑being? - What steps can you take to value others' contributions? A Different Perspective Competition can spur innovation and personal growth in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adolescent Competitiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescent-competitiveness-967901/) [America Adolescent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-adolescent-967902/) [Come Immaturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-immaturity-967904/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Competitiveness Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitiveness-feeling-967903/) [Immaturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immaturity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Is A Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-a-race/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) ## Related quotes > [“Life is a race against disappearing time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/life-is-a-race-against-disappearing-time/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Life is a race for those who want success and journey for those who want to live their dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asim-khan/life-is-a-race-for-those-who-want-success-and-journey-for-those-who/) [Asim Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asim-khan/) > [“Life is a race. You are racing against time. Your life is such that you are running a race against a diminishing life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/life-is-a-race-you-are-racing-against-time-your-life-is-such-that-you/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Life is a race. If you delay starting, how can you have any hope of winning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-wright/life-is-a-race-if-you-delay-starting-how-can-you-have-any-hope-of/) [Randall Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-wright/) > [Winning horse doesn't know why he runs in a race,he runs because of beats & pain. Life is a race; God is our rider,so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/winning-horse-doesn-t-know-why-he-runs-in-a-race-he-runs-because-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is a race. For moment you realized you have learnt how to live, Life changes completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/life-is-a-race-for-moment-you-realized-you-have-learnt-how-to-live/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [LIFE is described in 1 of 4 ways: As a battle, As a journey, As a , & as a race.. If life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-described-in-1-of-4-ways-as-a-battle-as-a-journey-as-a-as-a/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [If life is a race, chasing your dream should be your aim, not competing with others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/if-life-is-a-race-chasing-your-dream-should-be-your-aim-not-competing/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [Winning horse does not know why it runs the race.It runs because of beats & pains.Life is a race;god is your rider.So if u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/winning-horse-does-not-know-why-it-runs-the-race-it-runs-because-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is a race where it dose not mater who comes first but who makes it trough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-a-race-where-it-dose-not-mater-who-comes-first-but-who-makes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is a race, I can not afford to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaibhav-tyagi/life-is-a-race-i-can-not-afford-to-walk/) [Vaibhav Tyagi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaibhav-tyagi/) > [“Life is a race against time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/life-is-a-race-against-time/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Life is a race... winning and losing is a part of it and you gotta accept it. so you'll grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missyrie/life-is-a-race-winning-and-losing-is-a-part-of-it-and-you-gotta/) [Missyrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missyrie/) > [Winning Horse Doesn't Knows Why It Runs In The Race. It Runs Because Of The Beat And Pains... Life Is A Race. GOD Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/winning-horse-doesn-t-knows-why-it-runs-in-the-race-it-runs-because/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [If Life is a race , the first thing you gotta do is wake up and run forward , not by sitting at one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/if-life-is-a-race-the-first-thing-you-gotta-do-is-wake-up-and-run/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) ## More by Joshua Loth Liebman > [“Many people are miserable because they think that occasional destructive feelings necessarily make them terrible persons. But just as Aristotle maintained, “One swallow does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/many-people-are-miserable-because-they-think-that-occasional/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“There comes a time in the development of every ego when it must love its neighbors or become a twisted and stunted personality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/there-comes-a-time-in-the-development-of-every-ego-when-it-must-love/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“The great mistake of contemporary life is that we have made such a virtue of intellectual growth while almost totally ignoring the necessity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/the-great-mistake-of-contemporary-life-is-that-we-have-made-such-a/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“Certainly it is true that we need to maintain independence in certain areas of life. We must not be passive but active agents in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/certainly-it-is-true-that-we-need-to-maintain-independence-in-certain/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“How easily we accept the fact that this is a varied world, with many races, cultures, and mores. In America we rejoice in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/how-easily-we-accept-the-fact-that-this-is-a-varied-world-with-many/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“We are afraid of what we will do to others, afraid of the rage that lies in wait somewhere deep in our souls. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/we-are-afraid-of-what-we-will-do-to-others-afraid-of-the-rage-that/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“Most of us would like to see our enemies defeated and punished, and it is an ironic (and gruesome) human truth that many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/most-of-us-would-like-to-see-our-enemies-defeated-and-punished-and-it/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“A love of neighbor manifests itself in the tolerance not only of opinions of others but, what is more important, of the essence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/a-love-of-neighbor-manifests-itself-in-the-tolerance-not-only-of-2/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“And they lived happily ever after” is one of the most tragic sentences in literature. It is tragic because it tells a falsehood about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/and-they-lived-happily-ever-after-is-one-of-the-most-tragic-sentences-2/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“A world that is intellectually mature but morally infantile is on the road to ruin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/a-world-that-is-intellectually-mature-but-morally-infantile-is-on-the/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“Tolerance, which is one form of love of neighbor, must manifest itself not only in our personal relations, but also in the arena of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/tolerance-which-is-one-form-of-love-of-neighbor-must-manifest-itself/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [“Religion must now recognize that our deep antisocial impulses when denied and repressed do not disappear miraculously from reality; the more we treat them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/religion-must-now-recognize-that-our-deep-antisocial-impulses-when/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) [Explore all 13 Joshua Loth Liebman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) ## 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": "“There has been among us, particularly in America, an adolescent competitiveness—a feeling that life is a race in which the victory of one must mean the defeat of the other. 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