--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People look at my competitive spirit, and…" description: "\"People look at my competitive spirit, and they automatically attach it to the thing that's most similar, most easily recognizable, which is Michael [Jo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d1/kobe-bryant-1845_building_people-look-at-my-competitive-spirit-and_1677959.jpg" --- # People look at my competitive spirit, and they… ![“People look at my competitive spirit, and they automatically attach it to the thing that's most similar, most easily recognizable, which is Michael [Jordan's] competitive spirit. I'm different. I enjoy building. I enjoy the process of putting the puzzle together, and then the byproduct of that…” quote by Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d1/kobe-bryant-1845_building_people-look-at-my-competitive-spirit-and_1677959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d1/kobe-bryant-1845_building_people-look-at-my-competitive-spirit-and_1677959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d1/kobe-bryant-1845_building_people-look-at-my-competitive-spirit-and_1677959.jpg) > “People look at my competitive spirit, and they automatically attach it to the thing that's most similar, most easily recognizable, which is Michael \[Jordan's\] competitive spirit. I'm different. I enjoy building. I enjoy the process of putting the puzzle together, and then the byproduct of that, the consequence of that, is beating somebody. That becomes the cherry on top, the icing on the cake.” [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He explains that his competitive drive is often misread as aggression, but he values creation and problem‑solving, with victory being a pleasant bonus. **In simple terms:** He likes building things and winning is a bonus. Key Takeaway Focus on process, not just outcome. Themes competition creativity mindset Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - team projects - software development - product design - strategic planning Key Concepts growth process orientation intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How do you separate your love of building from the need to win? - What practices keep you grounded in process? A Different Perspective Success may still depend on external factors beyond personal effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Cake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cake/) [Cherries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cherries/) [Competitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitive/) [Competitive spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitive-spirit/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Enjoy The Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy-the-process/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Icing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/icing/) [Icing on the cake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/icing-on-the-cake/) [Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jordan/) [Jordan Competitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jordan-competitive-927321/) [Look Competitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-competitive-927320/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Michael jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/michael-jordan/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Puzzles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzles/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) ## Related quotes > [The greatness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive. The weakness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jackson/the-greatness-of-michael-jordan-is-his-competitive-drive-the-weakness/) [Phil Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jackson/) > [My childhood dream was to win the Olympics, and I've done that. Everything else is icing on the cake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-vonn/my-childhood-dream-was-to-win-the-olympics-and-i-ve-done-that/) [Lindsey Vonn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-vonn/) > [If the theory turns out to be right, that will be tremendously thick and tasty icing on the cake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/if-the-theory-turns-out-to-be-right-that-will-be-tremendously-thick/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [I'm going to go out and play really hard. If I have another win, it will be icing on the cake. But I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-singh/i-m-going-to-go-out-and-play-really-hard-if-i-have-another-win-it/) [Vijay Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-singh/) > [In 2001, my father finally succumbed to the bone cancer that had tortured him for seven years. His last weeks were a terrible, black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-baynham/in-2001-my-father-finally-succumbed-to-the-bone-cancer-that-had/) [Peter Baynham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-baynham/) > [Nine times out of ten, I'm trying to meet someone else's expectations, whether it's the director or the writer or the animator, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-pasdar/nine-times-out-of-ten-i-m-trying-to-meet-someone-else-s-expectations/) [Adrian Pasdar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-pasdar/) > [I got my training here in Chicago at the Goodman School Of Drama, and a lot of my personal work is usually internal work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rooker/i-got-my-training-here-in-chicago-at-the-goodman-school-of-drama-and/) [Michael Rooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rooker/) > [Suarez did fit in the style of the team quickly. I think his arrival was practically perfect. And us 3 fit in a fantastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymar/suarez-did-fit-in-the-style-of-the-team-quickly-i-think-his-arrival/) [Neymar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymar/) > [I would have done anything. I just really love the Duplass brothers. I was at a place where I was desperate for good writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-peet/i-would-have-done-anything-i-just-really-love-the-duplass-brothers-i/) [Amanda Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-peet/) > [Illium, with his wings of silver-kissed blue and a face designed to seduce both males and females, not to mention his ability to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/illium-with-his-wings-of-silver-kissed-blue-and-a-face-designed-to/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [It's just nice to work hard and be rewarded, which is having lots of people watch. And the icing on the cake is for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-meloni/it-s-just-nice-to-work-hard-and-be-rewarded-which-is-having-lots-of/) [Christopher Meloni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-meloni/) > [Every job after the first job I got was icing on the cake. This is so much fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katee-sackhoff/every-job-after-the-first-job-i-got-was-icing-on-the-cake-this-is-so/) [Katee Sackhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katee-sackhoff/) > [The true excitement comes from the actors - that gives you the true drama - and whatever I can do with the camera, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/the-true-excitement-comes-from-the-actors-that-gives-you-the-true/) [Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/) > [Chivalry is a poor substitute for justice, if one cannot have both. Chivalry is something like the icing on the cake, sweet but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/chivalry-is-a-poor-substitute-for-justice-if-one-cannot-have-both/) [Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/) > [Motherhood is an amazing feeling, and if you get to relive those special moments while working, it works as an icing on the cake.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kajol/motherhood-is-an-amazing-feeling-and-if-you-get-to-relive-those/) [Kajol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kajol/) ## More by Kobe Bryant > [If you don't believe in yourself...nobo dy else will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/if-you-don-t-believe-in-yourself-nobo-dy-else-will/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [I don't just try to score. The challenge is elevating my teammates to be able to win a championship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/i-don-t-just-try-to-score-the-challenge-is-elevating-my-teammates-to/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [I'm going to be the Will Smith of the NBA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/i-m-going-to-be-the-will-smith-of-the-nba/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [There's certain companies that line up with what the brand represents. There are other things that are more investment-focused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/there-s-certain-companies-that-line-up-with-what-the-brand-represents/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [If I panic, everyone else panics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/if-i-panic-everyone-else-panics/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [You have to be true to who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/you-have-to-be-true-to-who-you-are/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [It really doesn't matter to me. We're just talking about clothes. I can understand what the NBA is trying to do. I love my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/it-really-doesn-t-matter-to-me-we-re-just-talking-about-clothes-i-can/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [In the pressure situations. You can try to avoid contact, because you dont want to go to the FT line in those situations. Me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/in-the-pressure-situations-you-can-try-to-avoid-contact-because-you/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [I play for my own love and enjoyment of the game. And to win. Thats what I play for. Most of the time, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/i-play-for-my-own-love-and-enjoyment-of-the-game-and-to-win-thats/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [When you start training camp, you're building the tools necessary to win a championship. You have to have the patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/when-you-start-training-camp-you-re-building-the-tools-necessary-to/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [I don't know if it was the days off or whatever, but we just weren't in rhythm. You can probably blame it on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/i-don-t-know-if-it-was-the-days-off-or-whatever-but-we-just-weren-t/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [If you make it, great. If you miss it, what's there to be afraid of?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/if-you-make-it-great-if-you-miss-it-what-s-there-to-be-afraid-of/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [They are the best team in the league right now. There's not much more to say about what makes them tough --versatility, execution and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/they-are-the-best-team-in-the-league-right-now-there-s-not-much-more/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [There's a much bigger world out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/there-s-a-much-bigger-world-out-there/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [When you have empathy toward your opponents, it helps you destroy them quicker. Because you understand exactly who they are. You understand what buttons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/when-you-have-empathy-toward-your-opponents-it-helps-you-destroy-them/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) [Explore all 204 Kobe Bryant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) ## More Building 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/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) [Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People look at my competitive spirit, and they automatically attach it to the thing that's most similar, most easily recognizable, which is Michael [Jordan's] competitive spirit. 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