---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Knocking him down won the first fight. I…"
description: "\"“Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone.”\" — Orson Scott Card"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/orson-scott-card-134_fight_knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i_2777038.png"
---

#  Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all…

![“Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone.” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/orson-scott-card-134_fight_knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i_2777038.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/orson-scott-card-134_fight_knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i_2777038.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/orson-scott-card-134_fight_knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i_2777038.png)

> ““Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone.””

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Early dominance can lead to isolation; true strength lies in cooperation.

**In simple terms:** Winning alone isolates.

Key Takeaway

Seek teamwork over solitary victory.

Themes

competition isolation teamwork

Mood

reflective strategic

Type

literary motivational

When to use this quote

- sports
- business
- group projects

Key Concepts

military strategy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- When is collaboration more valuable?
- How can you balance ambition and teamwork?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on winning can harm relationships.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [Fight Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight-wanted-1548161/) [Knocking Won](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knocking-won-2675414/) [Wanted Win](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-win/) [Won Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/won-fight-670224/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/)

## Related quotes

> [You can keep knocking but you won't knock me down. no love lost, no love found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/you-can-keep-knocking-but-you-won-t-knock-me-down-no-love-lost-no/)

[Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/)

> [You can keep knocking but won't knock me down. No love lost, no love found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-keep-knocking-but-won-t-knock-me-down-no-love-lost-no-love/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Having watched the Botha fight, I wanted to get him out of there, but I didn't really want to hurt him as bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-parker/having-watched-the-botha-fight-i-wanted-to-get-him-out-of-there-but-i/)

[Joseph Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-parker/)

> [Anytime I've won a fight and asked for an opponent, I've usually gotten it, and that's because it's all well thought-out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chiesa/anytime-i-ve-won-a-fight-and-asked-for-an-opponent-i-ve-usually/)

[Michael Chiesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chiesa/)

> [I won my fight on 'The Ultimate Fighter,' my dad died the next day and I stayed in the game and won the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chiesa/i-won-my-fight-on-the-ultimate-fighter-my-dad-died-the-next-day-and-i/)

[Michael Chiesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chiesa/)

> [I still think I'm 28. I'm 73. I think I'm 28, though, except that I won't get into a fight with anybody because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-matthau/i-still-think-i-m-28-i-m-73-i-think-i-m-28-though-except-that-i-won-t/)

[Walter Matthau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-matthau/)

> [I wanted you to fight for me. I wanted you to say that there was n one else that you could ever be with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wanted-you-to-fight-for-me-i-wanted-you-to-say-that-there-was-n-one/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I am very happy that Floyd Mayweather and I can give the fans the fight they have wanted for so many years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-am-very-happy-that-floyd-mayweather-and-i-can-give-the-fans-the-2/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [“Finally realizing what she was asking of him, he barked, "No!" "He save your life." "I don't care!" "Please. For me." "No. Absolutely not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-laurenston/finally-realizing-what-she-was-asking-of-him-he-barked-no-he-save/)

[Shelly Laurenston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-laurenston/)

> [I wanted you to fight for me. I wanted you to tell me that there's no one else you could ever be with and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-tree-hill/i-wanted-you-to-fight-for-me-i-wanted-you-to-tell-me-that-there-s-no/)

[One Tree Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-tree-hill/)

> [“weren’t getting any virgins if it was fight they wanted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/weren-t-getting-any-virgins-if-it-was-fight-they-wanted/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [I haven't fought for a while and didn't want a warm-up fight. I wanted to jump right back in the pit and I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chiesa/i-haven-t-fought-for-a-while-and-didn-t-want-a-warm-up-fight-i-wanted/)

[Michael Chiesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chiesa/)

> [If you win non-violently, then you have a double victory, you have not only won your fight, but you remain free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/if-you-win-non-violently-then-you-have-a-double-victory-you-have-not/)

[Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/)

> [I am not a big crier. But I'd say it was after the Mendes fight. It was not because of the fight as such.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/i-am-not-a-big-crier-but-i-d-say-it-was-after-the-mendes-fight-it-was/)

[Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/)

> [Quarel is not won by fight it is won by heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajinkya-indalkar/quarel-is-not-won-by-fight-it-is-won-by-heart/)

[Ajinkya Indalkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajinkya-indalkar/)

## More by Orson Scott Card

> [“You underestimate yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-underestimate-yourself/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Why did he hesitate? He finally admitted to himself that he was like an American child who was almost completely certain about Santa Claus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/why-did-he-hesitate-he-finally-admitted-to-himself-that-he-was-like/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“I don't know of a soul who doesn't maintain two separate lists of doctrines - the ones they believe they believe; and the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-don-t-know-of-a-soul-who-doesn-t-maintain-two-separate-lists-of/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Good people do not let others suffer needlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/good-people-do-not-let-others-suffer-needlessly/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“The devil?” Jason heaved the tick over his shoulder like a collier with his sack. “Satan. The adversary. The enemy of the plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-devil-jason-heaved-the-tick-over-his-shoulder-like-a-collier-with/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“What we've done is make the categories of science fiction and fantasy larger, freer, and more inclusive than any other genre of contemporary literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-we-ve-done-is-make-the-categories-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Where ideas are real and reality is shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-ideas-are-real-and-reality-is-shadow/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Ender, for the past few months you have been the battle commander of our fleets. This was the Third Invasion. There were no games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/ender-for-the-past-few-months-you-have-been-the-battle-commander-of/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Science fiction is about what could be but isn't; fantasy is about what couldn't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/science-fiction-is-about-what-could-be-but-isn-t-fantasy-is-about/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Knowledge is just opinion that you trust enough to act upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knowledge-is-just-opinion-that-you-trust-enough-to-act-upon/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Of course they accused Marcão of having done it without provocation—that’s the way of torturers of every age, to put the blame on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/of-course-they-accused-marc-o-of-having-done-it-without-provocation/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/civilization-is-only-a-pretense-in-the-crisis-we-become-mere-apes/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

[Explore all 1,158 Orson Scott Card quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

## More Fight quotes

> [“I wanted a fight. I needed a fight. I was sick and tired of playing nice. I AM NOT NICE. - Caleb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/i-wanted-a-fight-i-needed-a-fight-i-was-sick-and-tired-of-playing/)

[C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/)

> [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/)

[Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/)

> [You have to fight gravity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-wine/you-have-to-fight-gravity/)

[Sherwin Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-wine/)

> [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/)

[Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/)

> [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [I am a fighter and I am in that fight and I have to make sure that I share the responsibility with my players…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-ten-hag/i-am-a-fighter-and-i-am-in-that-fight-and-i-have-to-make-sure-that-i/)

[Erik ten Hag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-ten-hag/)

> [I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/)

[Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/)

> [I'm looking to fight the best guys in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/i-m-looking-to-fight-the-best-guys-in-the-world/)

[Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/)

> [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/)

[Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/)

> [I want to fight the fights that fans want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-want-to-fight-the-fights-that-fans-want-to-see/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [We shall fight against them, throw them in prisons and destroy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/we-shall-fight-against-them-throw-them-in-prisons-and-destroy-them/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [I really believe if GSP and Silva fight, Georges will have his hand raised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hughes/i-really-believe-if-gsp-and-silva-fight-georges-will-have-his-hand/)

[Matt Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hughes/)

> [We fight to defend our democratic ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-austin/we-fight-to-defend-our-democratic-ideals/)

[Lloyd Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-austin/)

> [Therefore, our fight must primarily be a political mass struggle with revolutionary goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-slovo/therefore-our-fight-must-primarily-be-a-political-mass-struggle-with/)

[Joe Slovo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-slovo/)

> [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/)

[David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/)

[Browse all 9,748 Fight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Orson Scott Card"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i-wanted-to-win-all-the-next/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fight"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i-wanted-to-win-all-the-next/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/orson-scott-card-134_fight_knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i_2777038.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/orson-scott-card-134_fight_knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i_2777038.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/orson-scott-card-134_fight_knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i_2777038.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone.” — Orson Scott Card",
                "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": "Orson Scott Card",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Knocking him down won the first...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i-wanted-to-win-all-the-next/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knocking-him-down-won-the-first-fight-i-wanted-to-win-all-the-next/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
