---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I might have been too tiny for it, but I…"
description: "\"I might have been too tiny for it, but I wanted to become a professional tennis player. I was a pretty good tennis player as a kid, but ultimately I ju..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/robbie-rist-49940_has-beens_i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i_1657749.jpg"
---

#  I might have been too tiny for it, but I wanted to become…

![“I might have been too tiny for it, but I wanted to become a professional tennis player. I was a pretty good tennis player as a kid, but ultimately I just don't think that I have that jock mentality needed for sports.” quote by Robbie Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/robbie-rist-49940_has-beens_i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i_1657749.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/robbie-rist-49940_has-beens_i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i_1657749.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/robbie-rist-49940_has-beens_i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i_1657749.jpg)

> “I might have been too tiny for it, but I wanted to become a professional tennis player. I was a pretty good tennis player as a kid, but ultimately I just don't think that I have that jock mentality needed for sports.”

[Robbie Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-rist/)

## About This Quote

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

Acknowledging personal limits while aspiring to professional sport highlights self-awareness and the need for mental alignment with goals.

**In simple terms:** Recognizing lack of sports mindset despite talent.

Key Takeaway

Assess mindset before pursuing sport.

Themes

self-awareness ambition identity

Mood

thoughtful determined

Type

reflective inspirational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- coaching
- personal development
- goal setting

Key Concepts

mental toughness career choice sports psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you need to change mindset or choose a different path?
- How can you cultivate a sports mentality?

A Different Perspective

Talent alone may not compensate for mindset gaps.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Jock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jock/) [Jock Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jock-mentality-724575/) [Jocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jocks/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentality/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Might have been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might-have-been/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Needed Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed-sports-724577/) [Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player/) [Pretty good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty-good/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Tennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennis/) [Tennis player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennis-player/) [Think Jock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-jock-724576/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiny/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/)

## Related quotes

> [Hockey is still my favourite sport. I think that might be part of what makes me successful. I don't live or die by racquetball,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-waselenchuk/hockey-is-still-my-favourite-sport-i-think-that-might-be-part-of-what/)

[Kane Waselenchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-waselenchuk/)

> [I would say I was jock. I went to Sierra College. I was a big baseball player. Getting into the MLB was my dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-guzman/i-would-say-i-was-jock-i-went-to-sierra-college-i-was-a-big-baseball/)

[Ryan Guzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-guzman/)

> [To be perfectly honest with you, I was partying a lot in school. I didn't have any good study habits from high school because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-biehn/to-be-perfectly-honest-with-you-i-was-partying-a-lot-in-school-i-didn/)

[Michael Biehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-biehn/)

> [He’s totally different from the typical jock. He has no ego. That’s unique for someone with such accolades. His strength comes from a higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-hayes/he-s-totally-different-from-the-typical-jock-he-has-no-ego-that-s/)

[Lester Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-hayes/)

> [ \[Calvin Trillin\] was very "shoe," which means he was a big jock, a big deal. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sessums/calvin-trillin-was-very-shoe-which-means-he-was-a-big-jock-a-big-deal/)

[Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sessums/)

> [I wasn't a jock in school, and by the 10th grade, when I was in boarding school I was carrying water buckets for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-weatherly/i-wasn-t-a-jock-in-school-and-by-the-10th-grade-when-i-was-in/)

[Michael Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-weatherly/)

> [I've always been a closet jock, but when I got married and had kids, that fell by the wayside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-ve-always-been-a-closet-jock-but-when-i-got-married-and-had-kids/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [I've always been a closet jock. With exercising, the more you do it, the more you get into it. And the more you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-ve-always-been-a-closet-jock-with-exercising-the-more-you-do-it-the/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [I was an athlete, but I was also a nerd. And so I didn't really fit in with the jocks because I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-bauer/i-was-an-athlete-but-i-was-also-a-nerd-and-so-i-didn-t-really-fit-in/)

[Trevor Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-bauer/)

> [I was a jock in college and high school, but I didn't hang out with the jocks. I was sort of a nerd who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rapp/i-was-a-jock-in-college-and-high-school-but-i-didn-t-hang-out-with/)

[Adam Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rapp/)

> [Smaller-than-Medium-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock-Jock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/smaller-than-medium-jock-but-bigger-than-wee-jock-jock/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I'd kind of expected that kids who knew about the Real World wouldn't act like jock dipwads. Guess I was wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilith-saintcrow/i-d-kind-of-expected-that-kids-who-knew-about-the-real-world-wouldn-t/)

[Lilith Saintcrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilith-saintcrow/)

> [I could have skated by as an athlete, but the world is so much bigger and more interesting than any one thing. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-could-have-skated-by-as-an-athlete-but-the-world-is-so-much-bigger/)

[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/)

> [I went to college to be a jock and to play on the baseball team. And then, I got cut and realized that that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/i-went-to-college-to-be-a-jock-and-to-play-on-the-baseball-team-and/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [You can be good at technology and like fashion and art. You can be good at technology and be a jock. You can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/you-can-be-good-at-technology-and-like-fashion-and-art-you-can-be/)

[Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/)

## More by Robbie Rist

> [I think the idea now of being a performer in this era of social media saturation means that you have to be an actor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/i-think-the-idea-now-of-being-a-performer-in-this-era-of-social-media/)

[Robbie Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-rist/)

> [Sometimes people will bring up these odd things that I did a one-off from. Like, I did a 'Knight Rider,' and I'll get an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/sometimes-people-will-bring-up-these-odd-things-that-i-did-a-one-off/)

[Robbie Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-rist/)

> [To be a sports person... There is a never say die attitude you have to have to succeed. The first thing I say is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/to-be-a-sports-person-there-is-a-never-say-die-attitude-you-have-to/)

[Robbie Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-rist/)

> [When I was a kid I was a big fan of the Universal Monsters movies of the 1930's and the 1940's. I loved movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-a-big-fan-of-the-universal-monsters-movies-of/)

[Robbie Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-rist/)

> [I think that artists have a better chance at making great art if they know as much about every different area in the industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/i-think-that-artists-have-a-better-chance-at-making-great-art-if-they/)

[Robbie Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-rist/)

> [The crazy thing about the entertainment industry now is that you can't do just one thing. If you're focusing in on just one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/the-crazy-thing-about-the-entertainment-industry-now-is-that-you-can/)

[Robbie Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-rist/)

[Explore all 7 Robbie Rist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-rist/)

## More Has beens quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/)

[Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/)

> [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/)

[Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/)

> [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/)

[Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/)

[Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

[Browse all 17,972 Has beens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I might have been too tiny for it, but I wanted to become a professional tennis player. I was a pretty good tennis player as a kid, but ultimately I just don't think that I have that jock mentality needed for sports.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robbie Rist"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i-wanted-to-become-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Has beens"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i-wanted-to-become-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/robbie-rist-49940_has-beens_i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i_1657749.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/robbie-rist-49940_has-beens_i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i_1657749.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/robbie-rist-49940_has-beens_i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i_1657749.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I might have been too tiny for it, but I wanted to become a professional tennis player. I was a pretty good…” — Robbie Rist",
                "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": "Robbie Rist",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-rist/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I might have been too tiny...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i-wanted-to-become-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-rist/i-might-have-been-too-tiny-for-it-but-i-wanted-to-become-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
