--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first thing is to love your sport…" description: "\"The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.\" — Peggy Fleming" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/peggy-fleming-27994_athlete_the-first-thing-is-to-love-your-sport-ne_1167013.jpg" --- # The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to… ![“The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.” quote by Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/peggy-fleming-27994_athlete_the-first-thing-is-to-love-your-sport-ne_1167013.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/peggy-fleming-27994_athlete_the-first-thing-is-to-love-your-sport-ne_1167013.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/peggy-fleming-27994_athlete_the-first-thing-is-to-love-your-sport-ne_1167013.jpg) > “The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.” [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. Love for the sport must be intrinsic; external approval is secondary. **In simple terms:** Love your sport, not the applause. Key Takeaway Prioritize personal passion. Themes authenticity self‑motivation sport Mood determined focused Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - training - competition - coaching - personal development Key Concepts intrinsic motivation identity Questions to Reflect On - Why do you pursue sport? - How does personal love affect performance? A Different Perspective External validation can distract from true enjoyment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Sport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sport/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) ## Related quotes > [“The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours. Peggy Fleming”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/the-first-thing-is-to-love-your-sport-never-do-it-to-please-someone-2/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [My first love is the sport, and it will always be my priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linford-christie/my-first-love-is-the-sport-and-it-will-always-be-my-priority/) [Linford Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linford-christie/) > [I've always been able to play for the love of the sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-pirlo/i-ve-always-been-able-to-play-for-the-love-of-the-sport/) [Andrea Pirlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-pirlo/) > [If love is not a sport , then why are there so many players.?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caylin/if-love-is-not-a-sport-then-why-are-there-so-many-players/) Caylin > [Football helped me. I was in love with this sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-piatek/football-helped-me-i-was-in-love-with-this-sport/) [Krzysztof Piatek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-piatek/) > [I'm not in this for superstardom. I do it purely for the love of the sport. I just love fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/i-m-not-in-this-for-superstardom-i-do-it-purely-for-the-love-of-the/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [I love the sport. I don't have to work. It's a kind of work we're doing, but if you can do what you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gustafsson/i-love-the-sport-i-don-t-have-to-work-it-s-a-kind-of-work-we-re-doing/) [Alexander Gustafsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gustafsson/) > [I've had concussions, and I'm still here. I still love the sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-reid/i-ve-had-concussions-and-i-m-still-here-i-still-love-the-sport/) [Eric Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-reid/) > [I love this sport and I don't want to get involved in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sete-gibernau/i-love-this-sport-and-i-don-t-want-to-get-involved-in-politics/) [Sete Gibernau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sete-gibernau/) > [I just love this sport and it's so competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-coleman/i-just-love-this-sport-and-it-s-so-competitive/) [Christian Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-coleman/) > [“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/) > [Life is one fool thing after another whereas love is two fool things after each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-one-fool-thing-after-another-whereas-love-is-two-fool-things/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Whatever you do, crush the infamous thing, and love those who love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/whatever-you-do-crush-the-infamous-thing-and-love-those-who-love-you/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Female athletes are supposed to be toned down. You're always supposed to talk about the team and never stand out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-solo/female-athletes-are-supposed-to-be-toned-down-you-re-always-supposed/) [Hope Solo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-solo/) > [I think women have brought a lot of life back to the sport-first, because a lot of people doubted women could actually do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-dragila/i-think-women-have-brought-a-lot-of-life-back-to-the-sport-first/) Stacy Dragila ## 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/) > [Love your sport. Never do it to please someone else; it has to be yours. That is all that will justify the hard work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/love-your-sport-never-do-it-to-please-someone-else-it-has-to-be-yours/) [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/) > [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 Athlete quotes > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/) [Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/) > [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/i-didn-t-set-out-to-be-the-first-openly-gay-athlete-playing-in-a/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I don't want to say names, but there are certain companies I won't work with because of previous people they've worked with. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/i-don-t-want-to-say-names-but-there-are-certain-companies-i-won-t/) [Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/) > [We are like highly trained athletes, who never run a race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/we-are-like-highly-trained-athletes-who-never-run-a-race/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [I didn't aspire to be a good sport; 'champion' was good enough for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-perry/i-didn-t-aspire-to-be-a-good-sport-champion-was-good-enough-for-me/) [Fred Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-perry/) > [Treat yourself like an overweight, out of shape person and that's what you will be. Why not train and treat yourself like an athlete?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalene-johnson/treat-yourself-like-an-overweight-out-of-shape-person-and-that-s-what/) [Chalene Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalene-johnson/) [Browse all 2,455 Athlete quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. 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