--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You gotta have a thick skin to be a…" description: "\"You gotta have a thick skin to be a fighter.\" — Matt Serra" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/matt-serra-6052_fighter_you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-figh_913644.jpg" --- # You gotta have a thick skin to be a fighter. ![“You gotta have a thick skin to be a fighter.” quote by Matt Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/matt-serra-6052_fighter_you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-figh_913644.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/matt-serra-6052_fighter_you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-figh_913644.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/matt-serra-6052_fighter_you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-figh_913644.jpg) > “You gotta have a thick skin to be a fighter.” [Matt Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-serra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Resilience and toughness are essential for fighting and life challenges. **In simple terms:** Thick skin helps you fight. Key Takeaway Build mental resilience. Themes resilience strength combat Mood determined encouraging Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - training - mindfulness - support networks Key Concepts sports personal development adversity Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance toughness and empathy? - What practices strengthen mental fortitude? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on toughness may ignore vulnerability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fighter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter/) [Gotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gotta/) [Gotta Skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gotta-skin-1358476/) [Skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skin/) [Skin Fighter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skin-fighter-1358475/) [Thick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thick/) [Thick skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thick-skin/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/) ## Related quotes > [When you're onstage and you know you're bombing, that's very, very scary. 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I don't remember anyone before bringing that to the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-paladino/i-bring-values-resiliency-a-thick-skin-and-i-m-not-afraid-to-be/) [Carl Paladino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-paladino/) > [I've got a thick skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/i-ve-got-a-thick-skin/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [I've got thick skin and an elastic heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sia-furler/i-ve-got-thick-skin-and-an-elastic-heart/) [Sia Furler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sia-furler/) > [Life as an actor has toughened me up, and I've learned that you shouldn't take things too personally. Someone once said that to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-warren/life-as-an-actor-has-toughened-me-up-and-i-ve-learned-that-you/) [Marc Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-warren/) > [I often have said that to be a college president, you need a thick skin, a good sense of humor, and nerves like sewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-gee/i-often-have-said-that-to-be-a-college-president-you-need-a-thick/) [Gordon Gee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-gee/) > [As an actor, you have to get used to being told no, develop a thick skin, and just keep persevering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emun-elliott/as-an-actor-you-have-to-get-used-to-being-told-no-develop-a-thick/) [Emun Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emun-elliott/) > [I have a thick skin, which comes from being a not-really-skinny, dark-skinned Indian woman. I haven't fit in every place, and so I'm kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-have-a-thick-skin-which-comes-from-being-a-not-really-skinny-dark/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [Freud was the son of a Jewish merchant who had to move his whole family to Vienna because he couldn't get work. He, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/freud-was-the-son-of-a-jewish-merchant-who-had-to-move-his-whole/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [Barack and I have been in the public eye for many years now, and we've developed a thick skin along the way. When you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/barack-and-i-have-been-in-the-public-eye-for-many-years-now-and-we-ve/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [Starting a business isn't for everyone, and it's not what you should do if you aren't sure what else to do. It requires thick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-minshew/starting-a-business-isn-t-for-everyone-and-it-s-not-what-you-should/) [Kathryn Minshew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-minshew/) > [Without that thick skin and a clear vision of what it is you want to do, what it is you know you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-boss/without-that-thick-skin-and-a-clear-vision-of-what-it-is-you-want-to/) [Stephen Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-boss/) ## More by Matt Serra > [There are no rules out in the street. And if you're a nice guy, you'll wake up in a hospital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/there-are-no-rules-out-in-the-street-and-if-you-re-a-nice-guy-you-ll/) [Matt Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-serra/) > [I've had a great career I feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/i-ve-had-a-great-career-i-feel/) [Matt Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-serra/) > [It's a rarity in this sport that you really get a guy that's not a good person. I think we've found that in Matt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/it-s-a-rarity-in-this-sport-that-you-really-get-a-guy-that-s-not-a/) [Matt Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-serra/) > [The thing is this, this sport you deal with a lot of guys in this sport and most of them are cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/the-thing-is-this-this-sport-you-deal-with-a-lot-of-guys-in-this/) [Matt Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-serra/) > [What is a 'lucky punch?' Who do these people think I was trying to punch in the face if not Georges? Seriously - where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/what-is-a-lucky-punch-who-do-these-people-think-i-was-trying-to-punch/) [Matt Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-serra/) > [Georges has been running through top competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/georges-has-been-running-through-top-competition/) [Matt Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-serra/) > [Who's held down Gaethje and beat him up? Nobody. 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He comes to fight every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermall-charlo/i-m-not-taking-him-lightly-at-all-i-mean-heiland-he-s-a-good-fighter/) [Jermall Charlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermall-charlo/) > [You've got to be careful against classy fighters, especially counter-punchers because if you go for the finish too early, you can end up getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/you-ve-got-to-be-careful-against-classy-fighters-especially-counter/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [“I'm not an alcoholic, I am freedom fighter against the teetotal taliban.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-murray/i-m-not-an-alcoholic-i-am-freedom-fighter-against-the-teetotal-taliban/) [Al Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-murray/) > [I'm a fighter, I love boxing, it's what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-mosley/i-m-a-fighter-i-love-boxing-it-s-what-i-do/) [Shane Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-mosley/) > [I don't mind people want to think Muhammad is the greatest fighter around. Everybody wants to make him great because of his mouth, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-frazier/i-don-t-mind-people-want-to-think-muhammad-is-the-greatest-fighter/) [Joe Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-frazier/) > [I don't walk around looking into cameras and telling people I'm the best fighter in the world just to hear myself talk. I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-don-t-walk-around-looking-into-cameras-and-telling-people-i-m-the/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [Before The Ultimate Fighter, I was appearing before a couple of hundred people at most. Now, I'm on the card of a Las Vegas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whittaker/before-the-ultimate-fighter-i-was-appearing-before-a-couple-of/) [Robert Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whittaker/) > [“She's not the enemy. She's just a dirty fighter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/she-s-not-the-enemy-she-s-just-a-dirty-fighter/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [I've been able to not only be a fighter, but a thinking fighter, where I can use my insight into the business and politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-ve-been-able-to-not-only-be-a-fighter-but-a-thinking-fighter-where/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-doyle/i-was-35-years-old-and-in-a-position-to-take-a-shot-at-whatever-i/) [Jerry Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-doyle/) > [You see, at the beginning we weren't fighters. We weren't yellers or throwers, even if we eventually came to be. It would take time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinaw-mengestu/you-see-at-the-beginning-we-weren-t-fighters-we-weren-t-yellers-or/) [Dinaw Mengestu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinaw-mengestu/) > [Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/therefore-the-good-fighter-will-be-terrible-in-his-onset-and-prompt/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [After eight years of Obama one thing is clear: Conservatives want a fighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-schlapp/after-eight-years-of-obama-one-thing-is-clear-conservatives-want-a/) [Matt Schlapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-schlapp/) [Browse all 2,705 Fighter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You gotta have a thick skin to be a fighter.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Serra" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-fighter/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fighter" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-fighter/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/matt-serra-6052_fighter_you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-figh_913644.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/matt-serra-6052_fighter_you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-figh_913644.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/matt-serra-6052_fighter_you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-figh_913644.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You gotta have a thick skin to be a fighter.” — Matt Serra", "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": "Matt Serra", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-serra/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You gotta have a thick skin...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-fighter/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-serra/you-gotta-have-a-thick-skin-to-be-a-fighter/#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 } } ] } ```