--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The NFL journey doesn't last long and so…" description: "\"The NFL journey doesn't last long and so it's not forever.\" — Leighton Vander Esch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/leighton-vander-esch-6249_forever_the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so_2024788.jpg" --- # The NFL journey doesn't last long and so it's not forever. ![“The NFL journey doesn't last long and so it's not forever.” quote by Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/leighton-vander-esch-6249_forever_the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so_2024788.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/leighton-vander-esch-6249_forever_the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so_2024788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/leighton-vander-esch-6249_forever_the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so_2024788.jpg) > “The NFL journey doesn't last long and so it's not forever.” [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Professional sports careers are brief, so athletes must plan for life beyond the field. **In simple terms:** Sports careers are short; plan ahead. Key Takeaway Prepare for post‑sports life early. Themes career planning transience future security Mood reflective pragmatic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - retirement planning - education - business ventures - investing Key Concepts athlete lifecycle financial literacy Questions to Reflect On - What steps are you taking now for life after sports? - How can leagues support player transitions? A Different Perspective Athletes may lack resources or guidance for transition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doesn Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-long-262043/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Journey Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey-doesn-1796959/) [Last](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Nfl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nfl/) [Nfl Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nfl-journey-3687055/) ## Related quotes > [“Journey before destination,” Dalinar said. “It cannot be a journey if it doesn’t have a beginning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/journey-before-destination-dalinar-said-it-cannot-be-a-journey-if-it/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [I have bursts of being a lady, but it doesn't last long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-winters/i-have-bursts-of-being-a-lady-but-it-doesn-t-last-long/) [Shelley Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-winters/) > [“Besides, I have to admit that whatever interest you can get people to take in you doesn’t last very long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/besides-i-have-to-admit-that-whatever-interest-you-can-get-people-to/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“We are all born innocent. It doesn't last long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james-west/we-are-all-born-innocent-it-doesn-t-last-long/) [Peter James West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james-west/) > [Intimidation doesn't last very long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-wilkens/intimidation-doesn-t-last-very-long/) [Lenny Wilkens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-wilkens/) > [I groom, but it doesn't take me a long time to get to what people see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/i-groom-but-it-doesn-t-take-me-a-long-time-to-get-to-what-people-see/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [Boxing's not a career for anyone: it doesn't last long enough to be a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-penn/boxing-s-not-a-career-for-anyone-it-doesn-t-last-long-enough-to-be-a/) [Chris Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-penn/) > [It doesn't take me long to write songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-e-king/it-doesn-t-take-me-long-to-write-songs/) [Ben E. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-e-king/) > [But I should have known that it doesn't take that long for change to happen - it takes a second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/but-i-should-have-known-that-it-doesn-t-take-that-long-for-change-to/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [it doesn't take long to stay an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/it-doesn-t-take-long-to-stay-an-hour/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [I don't look at my pension. It's not as big as yours so it doesn't take as long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-look-at-my-pension-it-s-not-as-big-as-yours-so-it-doesn-t/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A fellow doesn't last long on what he has done. He has to keep on delivering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hubbell/a-fellow-doesn-t-last-long-on-what-he-has-done-he-has-to-keep-on/) [Carl Hubbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hubbell/) > [You're only young once, they say, but doesn't it go on for a long time? More years than you can bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/you-re-only-young-once-they-say-but-doesn-t-it-go-on-for-a-long-time/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“A life form which can’t adapt doesn’t last very long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/a-life-form-which-can-t-adapt-doesn-t-last-very-long/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“It sure doesn't take long to start to love a kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/it-sure-doesn-t-take-long-to-start-to-love-a-kid/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) ## More by Leighton Vander Esch > [Anytime you're learning a new defense, there's going to be so much of a - everybody uses different words as far as terminology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/anytime-you-re-learning-a-new-defense-there-s-going-to-be-so-much-of/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [I just want everybody to have that one goal, that, 'Hey, we're going to make a Super Bowl run, and we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/i-just-want-everybody-to-have-that-one-goal-that-hey-we-re-going-to/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [You have to be a grown man and take responsibility upon yourself to put the work in that you need to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/you-have-to-be-a-grown-man-and-take-responsibility-upon-yourself-to/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [All the RPOs and the options that teams are running. They're always trying to match up their fastest guys up on the linebackers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/all-the-rpos-and-the-options-that-teams-are-running-they-re-always/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [One step makes a huge difference. Obviously, if you're in better position to make a tackle when you're farther up on him or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/one-step-makes-a-huge-difference-obviously-if-you-re-in-better/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [I mean, wherever you can play guys and they can be successful it's going to be good for the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/i-mean-wherever-you-can-play-guys-and-they-can-be-successful-it-s/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [Just be yourself and work, gain the respect of others and show them that you care and you're going to give it your all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/just-be-yourself-and-work-gain-the-respect-of-others-and-show-them/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [Back home, I hunt wolves quite a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/back-home-i-hunt-wolves-quite-a-bit/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [I've got no control over the logistics of who pays who what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/i-ve-got-no-control-over-the-logistics-of-who-pays-who-what/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [We could get traded tomorrow. We could get cut tomorrow. So people need to realize what they're saying on social media because I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/we-could-get-traded-tomorrow-we-could-get-cut-tomorrow-so-people-need/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [DQ's special. You've got to give him so much credit because the type of coach he is and the way he gets guys to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/dq-s-special-you-ve-got-to-give-him-so-much-credit-because-the-type/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [You have to prove yourself every snap. Otherwise you ain't going to last long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/you-have-to-prove-yourself-every-snap-otherwise-you-ain-t-going-to/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [I always set a high bar for myself. Always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/i-always-set-a-high-bar-for-myself-always/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [I think we just need to be accountable for our mistakes and keep being accountable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/i-think-we-just-need-to-be-accountable-for-our-mistakes-and-keep/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) > [I cherished every moment of my NFL career, and it has been such a blessing to play the game for as long as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/i-cherished-every-moment-of-my-nfl-career-and-it-has-been-such-a/) [Leighton Vander Esch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) [Explore all 99 Leighton Vander Esch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/) ## More Football quotes > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. So I went to Belgium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorgan-hazard/when-i-came-to-chelsea-it-was-clear-that-like-many-other-players-i/) [Thorgan Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorgan-hazard/) > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [There are guys who play lacrosse, and there are lacrosse players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-mundorf/there-are-guys-who-play-lacrosse-and-there-are-lacrosse-players/) [Brendan Mundorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-mundorf/) > [Giggs is the realest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kaluuya/giggs-is-the-realest/) [Daniel Kaluuya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kaluuya/) > [You get a new coach; you do things a little differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-manning/you-get-a-new-coach-you-do-things-a-little-differently/) [Archie Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-manning/) > [You gotta have a little kid in you to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-edwards/you-gotta-have-a-little-kid-in-you-to-play-football/) [Herman Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-edwards/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [My team mates are fundamental for my characteristics, if they send in crosses I can play inside the area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-inzaghi/my-team-mates-are-fundamental-for-my-characteristics-if-they-send-in/) [Filippo Inzaghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-inzaghi/) > [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/) > [“Wild card, got it," Duncan said. "Just like in Crazy Eights. I can be a diamond; I can be a spade. Whatever you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-healy/wild-card-got-it-duncan-said-just-like-in-crazy-eights-i-can-be-a/) [Christopher Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-healy/) > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [I just enjoy winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-bogaerts/i-just-enjoy-winning/) [Xander Bogaerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-bogaerts/) > [I think you can get, as a player, stuck in the mindset of trying too hard to prove yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/i-think-you-can-get-as-a-player-stuck-in-the-mindset-of-trying-too/) [Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/) > [We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/we-cannot-change-the-cards-we-are-dealt-just-how-we-play-the-hand/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) [Browse all 59,646 Football quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The NFL journey doesn't last long and so it's not forever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leighton Vander Esch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so-it-s-not-forever/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Football" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so-it-s-not-forever/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/leighton-vander-esch-6249_forever_the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so_2024788.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/leighton-vander-esch-6249_forever_the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so_2024788.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/leighton-vander-esch-6249_forever_the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so_2024788.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The NFL journey doesn't last long and so it's not forever.” — Leighton Vander Esch", "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": "Leighton Vander Esch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-vander-esch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The NFL journey doesn't last long...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so-it-s-not-forever/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-vander-esch/the-nfl-journey-doesn-t-last-long-and-so-it-s-not-forever/#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 } } ] } ```