--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was not a very good football player…" description: "\"I was not a very good football player when I started out.\" — Lynn Swann" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/lynn-swann-28108_ball-player_i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-wh_2114261.jpg" --- # I was not a very good football player when I started out. ![“I was not a very good football player when I started out.” quote by Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/lynn-swann-28108_ball-player_i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-wh_2114261.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/lynn-swann-28108_ball-player_i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-wh_2114261.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/lynn-swann-28108_ball-player_i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-wh_2114261.jpg) > “I was not a very good football player when I started out.” [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He acknowledges early lack of skill, emphasizing growth through experience. **In simple terms:** Started poorly, improved later. Key Takeaway Embrace early failures as learning. Themes sports personal development humility Mood reflective motivational Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - football training - career beginnings - coaching feedback Key Concepts skill acquisition growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - How did you turn early setbacks into progress? - What habits helped you improve? A Different Perspective Talent alone isn’t enough without effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Football player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football-player/) ## Related quotes > [As a player, I started in Serie C and got to the top of Europe and the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-inzaghi/as-a-player-i-started-in-serie-c-and-got-to-the-top-of-europe-and-the/) [Filippo Inzaghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-inzaghi/) > [I might not be a great athlete, but I think I'm a real good football player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-might-not-be-a-great-athlete-but-i-think-i-m-a-real-good-football/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [“People consider me a success because I'm a good football player and make lots of money. But if my heart's not right, if I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-white/people-consider-me-a-success-because-i-m-a-good-football-player-and/) [Reggie White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-white/) > [Any time you get a chance to acquire a really good football player, I'm all about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dorsey/any-time-you-get-a-chance-to-acquire-a-really-good-football-player-i/) [John Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dorsey/) > [Just because I'm undersized and under-this and under-that, I've still been a good football player since I was little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-welker/just-because-i-m-undersized-and-under-this-and-under-that-i-ve-still/) [Wes Welker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-welker/) > [If all you had to be was a comedian to be a good football player. Bob Hope would be great. But you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cris-collinsworth/if-all-you-had-to-be-was-a-comedian-to-be-a-good-football-player-bob/) [Cris Collinsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cris-collinsworth/) > [I was a good football player, and I had a chance to play with some great players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/i-was-a-good-football-player-and-i-had-a-chance-to-play-with-some/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [I played baseball too, and flag football, but basketball was the easiest for me. Then when I was 12, my dad asked me what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonzo-ball/i-played-baseball-too-and-flag-football-but-basketball-was-the/) [Lonzo Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonzo-ball/) > [I was a very good baseball and football player, but my father always told me I was much more interested in how I looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-was-a-very-good-baseball-and-football-player-but-my-father-always/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I'm OK with having a really good football player with a chip on his shoulder because he's going to come to prove to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dorsey/i-m-ok-with-having-a-really-good-football-player-with-a-chip-on-his/) [John Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dorsey/) > [I was not a very good football player. My coach hated me - I don't know why, I guess it's probably because I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-rhett/i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-my-coach-hated-me-i-don-t-know/) [Thomas Rhett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-rhett/) > [I'm quite a shy person, but I know I'm a good football player. That's just the way I am. That's the way I grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georginio-wijnaldum/i-m-quite-a-shy-person-but-i-know-i-m-a-good-football-player-that-s/) [Georginio Wijnaldum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georginio-wijnaldum/) > [I've been hanging out with some really good football players and having a few more opportunities to have the ball in my hands, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cooper-kupp/i-ve-been-hanging-out-with-some-really-good-football-players-and/) [Cooper Kupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cooper-kupp/) > [A lot of people are doubting us right now, ... But the reality is that we've lost two conference games on the last play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-whittingham/a-lot-of-people-are-doubting-us-right-now-but-the-reality-is-that-we/) Kyle Whittingham > [When the Italians play the Germans it'll be fascinating. Mightn't be very good football but it'll be great psychology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamon/when-the-italians-play-the-germans-it-ll-be-fascinating-mightn-t-be/) [Eamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eamon/) ## More by Lynn Swann > [And historically the owners have used loyalty to a team or a city to hold players as opposed to always paying their worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/and-historically-the-owners-have-used-loyalty-to-a-team-or-a-city-to/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [Players today are concerned about the money, but the large dollars only go to those players who are the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/players-today-are-concerned-about-the-money-but-the-large-dollars/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [Distance running to a professional athlete in my day was five laps around the field. And you stopped each lap to take your pulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/distance-running-to-a-professional-athlete-in-my-day-was-five-laps/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [Professional sports is a business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/professional-sports-is-a-business/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [I feel like there should be more black head coaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/i-feel-like-there-should-be-more-black-head-coaches/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [I believe that today's players who are Christians feel that it's important and their responsibility to acknowledge their faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/i-believe-that-today-s-players-who-are-christians-feel-that-it-s/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [Some people play very, very well just so they won't get embarrassed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/some-people-play-very-very-well-just-so-they-won-t-get-embarrassed/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [We talk about freedoms for African-Americans but unless you have more than one option politically, how free are you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/we-talk-about-freedoms-for-african-americans-but-unless-you-have-more/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [Sports and entertainment have always been windows of opportunity for African Americans, when other doors were closed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/sports-and-entertainment-have-always-been-windows-of-opportunity-for/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [Now, I'm not here because I was that good. I'm here because of the people around me made me that good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/now-i-m-not-here-because-i-was-that-good-i-m-here-because-of-the/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [I enjoy playing the game. It's hard for me to just watch it, even while broadcasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/i-enjoy-playing-the-game-it-s-hard-for-me-to-just-watch-it-even-while/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [If a player demonstrated that he is the best, and a team decides, even so, we don't want to pay him, as in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/if-a-player-demonstrated-that-he-is-the-best-and-a-team-decides-even/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [I took several years of dance lessons that included ballet, tap and jazz. They helped a great deal with body control, balance, a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/i-took-several-years-of-dance-lessons-that-included-ballet-tap-and/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [This being Black History Month, I would like to ask people to celebrate the similarities and not focus on the differences between people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/this-being-black-history-month-i-would-like-to-ask-people-to/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [When I was in college there was a girls' flag football league. The girls were extremely aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/when-i-was-in-college-there-was-a-girls-flag-football-league-the/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) [Explore all 19 Lynn Swann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) ## More Ball player quotes > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I have friends in other industries but if I am training for a wrestling match, I would turn to the best wrestler to train,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-aries/i-have-friends-in-other-industries-but-if-i-am-training-for-a/) [Austin Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-aries/) > [And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-i-want-to-do-it-the-right-way-like-everybody-else-not-just-a/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [I competed every day as a professional football player... You've got to like competing. That's how your team gets better, when you have competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-competed-every-day-as-a-professional-football-player-you-ve-got-to/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [“I can’t wait to knock you up and have a whole team of little baseball players around this place!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sterling/i-can-t-wait-to-knock-you-up-and-have-a-whole-team-of-little-baseball/) [J. Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sterling/) > [MOST AMAZING FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD && IN REAL MADRID](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-amazing-football-player-in-the-entire-world-in-real-madrid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My older brothers were both basketball players so I just grew up around the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/my-older-brothers-were-both-basketball-players-so-i-just-grew-up/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) > [I'm a basketball player, so I want to do whatever I've got to do to be on the floor and I'm prepared for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/i-m-a-basketball-player-so-i-want-to-do-whatever-i-ve-got-to-do-to-be/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) > [“Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere. While others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-yourself-in-print-is-such-an-amazing-concept-you-can-get-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People say baseball players should go out and have fun. No way. To me, baseball is pressure, I always feel it. This is work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-eckersley/people-say-baseball-players-should-go-out-and-have-fun-no-way-to-me/) [Dennis Eckersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-eckersley/) > [Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/canada-is-a-country-whose-main-exports-are-hockey-players-and-cold/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [“The great thing about baseball players, from the point of view of personal hygiene, is how seldom they break a sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-great-thing-about-baseball-players-from-the-point-of-view-of/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [A lot of scouts and people are enamored with athleticism and youth. So they take that any day over mature, high-quality basketball players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/a-lot-of-scouts-and-people-are-enamored-with-athleticism-and-youth-so/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [I'm a baseball player. I've done this my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/i-m-a-baseball-player-i-ve-done-this-my-whole-life/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) Browse all 1,395 Ball player quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was not a very good football player when I started out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynn Swann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-when-i-started-out/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ball player" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-when-i-started-out/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/lynn-swann-28108_ball-player_i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-wh_2114261.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/lynn-swann-28108_ball-player_i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-wh_2114261.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/lynn-swann-28108_ball-player_i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-wh_2114261.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was not a very good football player when I started out.” — Lynn Swann", "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": "Lynn Swann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was not a very good...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-when-i-started-out/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/i-was-not-a-very-good-football-player-when-i-started-out/#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 } } ] } ```