--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love your sport. Never do it to please…" description: "\"Love your sport. Never do it to please someone else; it has to be yours. That is all that will justify the hard work. Compete against yourself, not oth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/peggy-fleming-27994_compete_love-your-sport-never-do-it-to-please-so_601675.jpg" --- # Love your sport. Never do it to please someone else; it… ![“Love your sport. Never do it to please someone else; it has to be yours. That is all that will justify the hard work. Compete against yourself, not others, for that is who is truly your best competition.” quote by Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/peggy-fleming-27994_compete_love-your-sport-never-do-it-to-please-so_601675.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/peggy-fleming-27994_compete_love-your-sport-never-do-it-to-please-so_601675.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/peggy-fleming-27994_compete_love-your-sport-never-do-it-to-please-so_601675.jpg) > “Love your sport. Never do it to please someone else; it has to be yours. That is all that will justify the hard work. Compete against yourself, not others, for that is who is truly your best competition.” [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) ## 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 emphasizes that true motivation in sport (or any pursuit) must be intrinsic; competing against oneself yields genuine fulfillment. **In simple terms:** Do sport for yourself, not to please others. Key Takeaway Focus on personal growth and self‑competition. Themes intrinsic motivation self‑improvement competition Mood inspirational reflective determined Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - training routines - skill development - personal challenges - team dynamics - career planning Key Concepts self‑discipline personal excellence goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What internal goals drive your practice? - How do you measure personal progress beyond external results? A Different Perspective External validation can still be tempting; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) ## Related quotes > [It's about being the very best you can be. Nothing else matters as long as you're working and striving to be your best. Always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-carroll/it-s-about-being-the-very-best-you-can-be-nothing-else-matters-as/) [Pete Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-carroll/) > [Practice makes perfect and if you practice battling and competing and working hard, then that will transfer over in a game. If you practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-marchand/practice-makes-perfect-and-if-you-practice-battling-and-competing-and/) [Brad Marchand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-marchand/) > [There are two great things that we need to find in life: one is love, probably the most important, and the second is work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-l-eck/there-are-two-great-things-that-we-need-to-find-in-life-one-is-love/) [Diana L. Eck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-l-eck/) > [I'm going to have to work it, compete for that starting spot, compete for that job. I'm willing to come in and work, willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-knox/i-m-going-to-have-to-work-it-compete-for-that-starting-spot-compete/) [Kevin Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-knox/) > [“Sunday is God's day, and he was committed to honoring it. Just because he was in Paris to compete in the Olympics didn't justify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/sunday-is-god-s-day-and-he-was-committed-to-honoring-it-just-because/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [Well, you can't compete with a six foot five man in a wig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shemar-moore/well-you-can-t-compete-with-a-six-foot-five-man-in-a-wig/) [Shemar Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shemar-moore/) > [It's very difficult today for girls to become supermodels. There is a lot more competition, a lot of countries in the East have opened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-schiffer/it-s-very-difficult-today-for-girls-to-become-supermodels-there-is-a/) [Claudia Schiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-schiffer/) > [Sometimes its better to lose happy than to win unhappy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milana-may/sometimes-its-better-to-lose-happy-than-to-win-unhappy/) [Milana May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milana-may/) > [Practice like it's competition and compete like it's another day on the practice court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karch-kiraly/practice-like-it-s-competition-and-compete-like-it-s-another-day-on/) [Karch Kiraly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karch-kiraly/) > [Competition is an example of separation, you fight to compete and you have not won, even when you think you won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sitara-devi/competition-is-an-example-of-separation-you-fight-to-compete-and-you/) [Sitara Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sitara-devi/) > [I love the competition, and if I can continue to compete and give myself a chance to win tournaments, I'll still play out here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-watson/i-love-the-competition-and-if-i-can-continue-to-compete-and-give/) [Tom Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-watson/) > [“Leaders don’t compete. They are too secure to compete.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-saagar-rao/leaders-don-t-compete-they-are-too-secure-to-compete/) Krishna Saagar Rao > [The wise man doesn't compete; therefore nobody can compete with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-wise-man-doesn-t-compete-therefore-nobody-can-compete-with-him/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“The secret to unseating great power, is not to move the other direction, but to compete directly against their goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-secret-to-unseating-great-power-is-not-to-move-the-other/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Honestly, we’ll compete with everybody. I love competition. As long as people invent their own stuff, I love competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/honestly-we-ll-compete-with-everybody-i-love-competition-as-long-as/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) ## More by Peggy Fleming > [I think skating helped me find myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/i-think-skating-helped-me-find-myself/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [This is another kind of competition, but I'm being coached by an excellent team, and I've got a real strong competitive spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/this-is-another-kind-of-competition-but-i-m-being-coached-by-an/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [Then came the choreography... the impact of music and choreography tends to really emphasize an overall feeling of what you really want out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/then-came-the-choreography-the-impact-of-music-and-choreography-tends/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [The ultimate goal should be doing your best and enjoying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/the-ultimate-goal-should-be-doing-your-best-and-enjoying-it/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/the-first-thing-is-to-love-your-sport-never-do-it-to-please-someone/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [Skating was the vessel into which I could pour my heart and soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/skating-was-the-vessel-into-which-i-could-pour-my-heart-and-soul/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [It's a level of strength and character that few of us can imagine; a grace under pressure that few of us will ever attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/it-s-a-level-of-strength-and-character-that-few-of-us-can-imagine-a/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [When I was on the ice, in the lights, with the music and the motion, there was a certain kind of flirtation that gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/when-i-was-on-the-ice-in-the-lights-with-the-music-and-the-motion/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [When the going got tough, I really had to draw on many of the same competitive instincts I did when I was skating. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/when-the-going-got-tough-i-really-had-to-draw-on-many-of-the-same/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [My sport taught me what I could do with my talents, whether in the rink or in the rest of my life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/my-sport-taught-me-what-i-could-do-with-my-talents-whether-in-the/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [“The first is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/the-first-is-to-love-your-sport-never-do-it-to-please-someone-else-it/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [We wanted to be achievers, but being an achiever didn't mean that you stopped being a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/we-wanted-to-be-achievers-but-being-an-achiever-didn-t-mean-that-you/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [The world went by, and we didn't get caught up in all the other things, because we didn't have time. We had no spare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/the-world-went-by-and-we-didn-t-get-caught-up-in-all-the-other-things/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [As a young child, I played the violin. I think that that started the spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/as-a-young-child-i-played-the-violin-i-think-that-that-started-the/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [In 1968, in the midst of the tumultuous 1960s, the Olympics were much more than just another event](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/in-1968-in-the-midst-of-the-tumultuous-1960s-the-olympics-were-much/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) [Explore all 20 Peggy Fleming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) ## More Compete quotes > [Honestly, we’ll compete with everybody. I love competition. As long as people invent their own stuff, I love competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/honestly-we-ll-compete-with-everybody-i-love-competition-as-long-as/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [You don't go into the game to compete. You go into each game to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-newton/you-don-t-go-into-the-game-to-compete-you-go-into-each-game-to-win/) [Cam Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-newton/) > [The Way of the Sage is to act but not to compete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-way-of-the-sage-is-to-act-but-not-to-compete/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [For me, it's more important to bring my level up and make sure that I can compete against guys in the top 100 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-shapovalov/for-me-it-s-more-important-to-bring-my-level-up-and-make-sure-that-i/) [Denis Shapovalov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-shapovalov/) > [I love to compete. That's the essence of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/i-love-to-compete-that-s-the-essence-of-who-i-am/) [Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/) > [When I was young, all I wanted to do was to compete, have fun and travel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-gaylord/when-i-was-young-all-i-wanted-to-do-was-to-compete-have-fun-and-travel/) [Mitch Gaylord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-gaylord/) > [“The secret to unseating great power, is not to move the other direction, but to compete directly against their goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-secret-to-unseating-great-power-is-not-to-move-the-other/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [There are a lot of champions out there, a lot of great guys, but I think that the way I compete and my fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-pettis/there-are-a-lot-of-champions-out-there-a-lot-of-great-guys-but-i/) [Anthony Pettis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-pettis/) > [“Successful people compete against themselves, not against other people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/successful-people-compete-against-themselves-not-against-other-people/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [Most people should be given a chance to compete in the Olympic Games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-the-eagle/most-people-should-be-given-a-chance-to-compete-in-the-olympic-games/) [Eddie the Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-the-eagle/) > [The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-reese/the-hardest-skill-to-acquire-in-this-sport-is-the-one-where-you/) Eddie Reese > [They wanted me to lead these young players, teach them the way to compete, when the only thing I should be worried about is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kinsler/they-wanted-me-to-lead-these-young-players-teach-them-the-way-to/) Ian Kinsler > [For some people, success is a zero sum game. They think that if they push other people out of the way, fewer people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lelia-bundles/for-some-people-success-is-a-zero-sum-game-they-think-that-if-they/) [A'Lelia Bundles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lelia-bundles/) > [We can't live true to our set of values unless American educational system is strong. I really believe that if we don't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/we-can-t-live-true-to-our-set-of-values-unless-american-educational/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I write what I like to read, and I enjoy love triangles in YA and adult fiction - not to mention in other media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/i-write-what-i-like-to-read-and-i-enjoy-love-triangles-in-ya-and/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) Browse all 999 Compete quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Love your sport. Never do it to please someone else; it has to be yours. That is all that will justify the hard work. 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