--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win…" description: "\"Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.\" — Martina Navratilova" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/martina-navratilova-3608_football_whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or_1763302.png" --- # Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that… ![“Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.” quote by Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/martina-navratilova-3608_football_whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or_1763302.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/martina-navratilova-3608_football_whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or_1763302.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/martina-navratilova-3608_football_whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or_1763302.png) > “Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.” [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) ## 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 flips a famous saying, implying that focusing on outcomes rather than effort leads to loss, highlighting the paradox of overemphasis on winning. **In simple terms:** Winning focus can cause loss. Key Takeaway Balance effort with perspective. Themes sports psychology paradox motivation Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - athletics - business - personal development - coaching Key Concepts competition mindset philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Do you value outcomes over process? - How can you reframe success? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on results may blind you to learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Counts Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counts-probably-1711537/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose/) [Lose Counts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-counts-1711536/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Probably Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-lost-672236/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Win Lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/win-lose/) [Win or lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/win-or-lose/) ## Related quotes > [“Who ever said, ‘It’s not whether you win or lose that counts,’ probably lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/who-ever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or-lose-that-counts-probably/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [We can't recover the loss of Yesterday but tomorrow is ours to win or lose, make it count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/we-can-t-recover-the-loss-of-yesterday-but-tomorrow-is-ours-to-win-or/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [In life, it is important to not be afraid to put yourself out there, win or lose. It is all about the spirit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bailey/in-life-it-is-important-to-not-be-afraid-to-put-yourself-out-there/) [Cynthia Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bailey/) > [When you win or lose, no-one dies: you win, or you lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-henderson/when-you-win-or-lose-no-one-dies-you-win-or-you-lose/) [Jordan Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-henderson/) > [In football, you can win or lose. We always have to be together, with the same spirit we've always had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rodriguez/in-football-you-can-win-or-lose-we-always-have-to-be-together-with/) [James Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rodriguez/) > [We need to be behind Man United always when they win or lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-evra/we-need-to-be-behind-man-united-always-when-they-win-or-lose/) [Patrice Evra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-evra/) > [Win or lose or draw, you always go back and critique your performance and say you could have done things better. Even if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/win-or-lose-or-draw-you-always-go-back-and-critique-your-performance/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [If I would go out against some of these players and see them as their ranking, then I probably would have already lost before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/if-i-would-go-out-against-some-of-these-players-and-see-them-as-their/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [If you were approaching the TARP investments from a pure investment standpoint, then there's no doubt in my mind the taxpayer lost, and probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-hensarling/if-you-were-approaching-the-tarp-investments-from-a-pure-investment/) [Jeb Hensarling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-hensarling/) > [I think the notion of getting the North Koreans to denuclearize is probably a lost cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clapper/i-think-the-notion-of-getting-the-north-koreans-to-denuclearize-is/) [James Clapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clapper/) > [“That's when I realized that part of me would probably always be lost in the past. That just seemed to be my personality: I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-harbison/that-s-when-i-realized-that-part-of-me-would-probably-always-be-lost/) [Beth Harbison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-harbison/) > [I've won a few professional resume awards in my time, probably lost more of them that I've won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-schwartz/i-ve-won-a-few-professional-resume-awards-in-my-time-probably-lost/) [Stephen Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-schwartz/) > [How you play shows some of your character how you win or lose shows all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-you-play-shows-some-of-your-character-how-you-win-or-lose-shows/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Win or lose, we go shopping after the election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-marcos/win-or-lose-we-go-shopping-after-the-election/) [Imelda Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-marcos/) > [In war, you win or lose, live or die - and the difference is just an eyelash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/in-war-you-win-or-lose-live-or-die-and-the-difference-is-just-an/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) ## More by Martina Navratilova > [The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/the-moment-of-victory-is-much-too-short-to-live-for-that-and-nothing/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [Tennis is the purest form of democracy. There was a symbiotic, chicken-and-egg relationship for me between democracy and tennis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/tennis-is-the-purest-form-of-democracy-there-was-a-symbiotic-chicken/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [What I would tell girls coming up is just be yourself and don't let people get in the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/what-i-would-tell-girls-coming-up-is-just-be-yourself-and-don-t-let/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [You can't live in the past, there's nothing you can do about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/you-can-t-live-in-the-past-there-s-nothing-you-can-do-about-it/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [When one man becomes more important than the country he's supposed to be leading, this will always create a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/when-one-man-becomes-more-important-than-the-country-he-s-supposed-to/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [I am not looking for perfection. I look for the best in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/i-am-not-looking-for-perfection-i-look-for-the-best-in-me/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [I think the key is for women not to set any limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/i-think-the-key-is-for-women-not-to-set-any-limits/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [The better I get, the more I realize how much better I can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/the-better-i-get-the-more-i-realize-how-much-better-i-can-get/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [There was a joke in Czechoslovakia: The Communist Party dance, it's one step forward, two steps backward, and everyone is still clapping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/there-was-a-joke-in-czechoslovakia-the-communist-party-dance-it-s-one/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [The longer I stay in the States, the more I understand how important it is to smile and seem like a nice guy. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/the-longer-i-stay-in-the-states-the-more-i-understand-how-important/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path. Once you get on that path,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/just-put-one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-and-don-t-worry-about-the/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [I can teach many sports, but obviously, tennis is the one. When you do other sports, you see things from different perspectives: different footwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/i-can-teach-many-sports-but-obviously-tennis-is-the-one-when-you-do/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [Sport doesn't know barriers, really. You are judged on your performance... how far you can jump, how fast you can run, how well you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/sport-doesn-t-know-barriers-really-you-are-judged-on-your-performance/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/the-difference-between-involvement-and-commitment-is-like-ham-and/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [Just go out there and do what you've got to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/just-go-out-there-and-do-what-you-ve-got-to-do/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) [Explore all 126 Martina Navratilova quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) ## 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": "Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martina Navratilova" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or-lose-that-counts-probably/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Football" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or-lose-that-counts-probably/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/martina-navratilova-3608_football_whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or_1763302.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/martina-navratilova-3608_football_whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or_1763302.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/martina-navratilova-3608_football_whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or_1763302.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.” — Martina Navratilova", "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": "Martina Navratilova", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whoever said, 'It's not whether you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or-lose-that-counts-probably/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/whoever-said-it-s-not-whether-you-win-or-lose-that-counts-probably/#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 } } ] } ```