--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only place that matters is first." description: "\"The only place that matters is first.\" — Max Verstappen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/max-verstappen-8271_first_the-only-place-that-matters-is-first-208_2087458.jpg" --- # The only place that matters is first. ![“The only place that matters is first.” quote by Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/max-verstappen-8271_first_the-only-place-that-matters-is-first-208_2087458.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/max-verstappen-8271_first_the-only-place-that-matters-is-first-208_2087458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/max-verstappen-8271_first_the-only-place-that-matters-is-first-208_2087458.jpg) > “The only place that matters is first.” [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing the present moment is essential for success. **In simple terms:** Focus on now, not later. Key Takeaway Concentrate on current actions for better outcomes. Themes focus presence performance Mood determined focused Type motivational practical When to use this quote - racing - training - daily work - decision making Key Concepts sports psychology mindfulness goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What does “first” mean in your life? - How can you stay present under pressure? A Different Perspective Future outcomes are uncertain and can distract. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Place Matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place-matters-1725503/) ## Related quotes > [It’s not the place that matters, It’s how good you are when you get there.” -Rylann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/it-s-not-the-place-that-matters-it-s-how-good-you-are-when-you-get/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [I learned a long time ago that place matters to me, on many levels, and maybe more than it should, but it is generally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-learned-a-long-time-ago-that-place-matters-to-me-on-many-levels-and/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [In the end, though, maybe it's not how you reach a place that matters. Just that you get there at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/in-the-end-though-maybe-it-s-not-how-you-reach-a-place-that-matters/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“This is the Rule of the Scene, which says that places and people shape the success of our work far more than we realize.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/this-is-the-rule-of-the-scene-which-says-that-places-and-people-shape/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [My first job was in a nursing home - a terrible place in retrospect. It was in an old house, and the residents were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/my-first-job-was-in-a-nursing-home-a-terrible-place-in-retrospect-it/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) > [The only thing that matters in college basketball is going to the Final Four.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-boeheim/the-only-thing-that-matters-in-college-basketball-is-going-to-the/) [Jim Boeheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-boeheim/) > [The most important thing about Jazz at Lincoln Center is the fact that it's the first time that perhaps the most important art form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-vinoly/the-most-important-thing-about-jazz-at-lincoln-center-is-the-fact/) [Rafael Vinoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-vinoly/) > [All these expectations on me exist because of me in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-campbell/all-these-expectations-on-me-exist-because-of-me-in-the-first-place/) [Luke Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-campbell/) > [It is of considerable importance that politicians stick to their commitments or do not make such commitments in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-rees-mogg/it-is-of-considerable-importance-that-politicians-stick-to-their/) [Jacob Rees-Mogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-rees-mogg/) > [My first job was at an amusement park in Virginia. It was the worst. I loved the park but once I'd worked there all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-mcbride/my-first-job-was-at-an-amusement-park-in-virginia-it-was-the-worst-i/) [Danny McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-mcbride/) > [A message to women in general is be happy with yourself first. Be sure that you take care of yourself and find yourself. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raven-goodwin/a-message-to-women-in-general-is-be-happy-with-yourself-first-be-sure/) [Raven Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raven-goodwin/) > [It's nice to be in first place. But just because you're not on a winner doesn't mean you're a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-torre/it-s-nice-to-be-in-first-place-but-just-because-you-re-not-on-a/) [Joe Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-torre/) > [If we were really tough on crime, we'd do more to stop it from happening in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-p-meek/if-we-were-really-tough-on-crime-we-d-do-more-to-stop-it-from/) [Carrie P. Meek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-p-meek/) > [I only really woke up in India. It was my first experience of plenty, strangely enough, because everything in England was rationed. I loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-prawer-jhabvala/i-only-really-woke-up-in-india-it-was-my-first-experience-of-plenty/) [Ruth Prawer Jhabvala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-prawer-jhabvala/) > [The launch of phase 1 Ebola vaccine studies is a first step in developing a vaccine that could be licensed and used in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-launch-of-phase-1-ebola-vaccine-studies-is-a-first-step-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Max Verstappen > [Some drivers are like that. When they get a bit angry, they can perform better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/some-drivers-are-like-that-when-they-get-a-bit-angry-they-can-perform/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [Sometimes it's better to come through from, say, last to eighth than staying eighth, and you've qualified eighth!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/sometimes-it-s-better-to-come-through-from-say-last-to-eighth-than/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [I want to rely on my gut feeling. Isn't that what made great race drivers in the end?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/i-want-to-rely-on-my-gut-feeling-isn-t-that-what-made-great-race/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [It's just racing. Sometimes you have difficult moments, and then you try to work hard, and you keep working hard, and you overcome the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/it-s-just-racing-sometimes-you-have-difficult-moments-and-then-you/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [If you are a bit weak in your head, maybe you can train your mind, but it will never be your strong point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/if-you-are-a-bit-weak-in-your-head-maybe-you-can-train-your-mind-but/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [I just want to be myself. You learn from yourself, and that doesn't mean you have to drive slower; it actually means you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/i-just-want-to-be-myself-you-learn-from-yourself-and-that-doesn-t/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [At the end of the day, driving on the limit, sometimes over it to achieve the best out of it, especially at such high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/at-the-end-of-the-day-driving-on-the-limit-sometimes-over-it-to/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [If you haven't really raced a lot in lower categories, and you make the jump to Formula One, you have to learn in Formula…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/if-you-haven-t-really-raced-a-lot-in-lower-categories-and-you-make/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [It changes from track-to-track, but when you are behind someone, you know after a few laps where they are weaker and stronger around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/it-changes-from-track-to-track-but-when-you-are-behind-someone-you/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [It is very unfair, and on social media you have all these keyboard warriors who just type something, and they never say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/it-is-very-unfair-and-on-social-media-you-have-all-these-keyboard/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [Of course you learn from certain moments, and you always get more and more experience, so maybe in the future you will do some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/of-course-you-learn-from-certain-moments-and-you-always-get-more-and/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [I don't need people shouting at me to tell me what I did wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/i-don-t-need-people-shouting-at-me-to-tell-me-what-i-did-wrong/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [It is not because others tell me I have to change my driving style that I will change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/it-is-not-because-others-tell-me-i-have-to-change-my-driving-style/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [I get really tired of all the comments saying I should change my approach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/i-get-really-tired-of-all-the-comments-saying-i-should-change-my/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [I grew up going to race rings, and I really enjoyed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/i-grew-up-going-to-race-rings-and-i-really-enjoyed-it/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) [Explore all 82 Max Verstappen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) ## More First quotes > [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [I watched the movie 'What We Do in the Shadows' in a packed theater when it first came out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-dacosta/i-watched-the-movie-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-in-a-packed-theater/) [Nia DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-dacosta/) > [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Our fashion for us, it's an expression; first of all of life, I put all of myself in my fashion. Sometimes it's good, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/our-fashion-for-us-it-s-an-expression-first-of-all-of-life-i-put-all/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) > [When I first started making music, it was learning other people's songs and putting them onto four-track. Like Beatles songs and stuff. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ward/when-i-first-started-making-music-it-was-learning-other-people-s/) [M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ward/) > [Oh, I'm a great believer in the power of the pause. Radio is a bit brasher now. My style was slower. I just used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/oh-i-m-a-great-believer-in-the-power-of-the-pause-radio-is-a-bit/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [My first company, Pure Software, was exciting and innovative in the first few years and bureaucratic and painful in the last few before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/my-first-company-pure-software-was-exciting-and-innovative-in-the/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [I have to say, I grew up with fashion because my mother was a seamstress, and she had an atelier. She would cut the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/i-have-to-say-i-grew-up-with-fashion-because-my-mother-was-a/) [Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/) > [We do need different types of propulsion to get to Mars. I wrote one of the first Ph.D. theses on that in the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-do-need-different-types-of-propulsion-to-get-to-mars-i-wrote-one/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [The first draft is usually junk. You have to work on it seven to eight times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-subramanian/the-first-draft-is-usually-junk-you-have-to-work-on-it-seven-to-eight/) [Ravi Subramanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-subramanian/) > [When I first started, all the reviews of Cold Chisel would say, 'This singer won't have a voice in six months.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/when-i-first-started-all-the-reviews-of-cold-chisel-would-say-this/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [I first got into boxing when I was quite young. I was about 12 when I won my first boxing match.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-parker/i-first-got-into-boxing-when-i-was-quite-young-i-was-about-12-when-i/) [Joseph Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-parker/) [Browse all 9,159 First quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only place that matters is first.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Max Verstappen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/the-only-place-that-matters-is-first/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/the-only-place-that-matters-is-first/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/max-verstappen-8271_first_the-only-place-that-matters-is-first-208_2087458.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/max-verstappen-8271_first_the-only-place-that-matters-is-first-208_2087458.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/max-verstappen-8271_first_the-only-place-that-matters-is-first-208_2087458.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only place that matters is first.” — Max Verstappen", "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": "Max Verstappen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only place that matters is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/the-only-place-that-matters-is-first/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/the-only-place-that-matters-is-first/#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 } } ] } ```