--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who are you? What is your distinct…" description: "\"Who are you? What is your distinct contribution? That is so valuable whether it gets you anything or not. Trophies? Doesn't matter. If you know you did..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/rodney-mullen-25454_contribution_who-are-you-what-is-your-distinct-contri_2869393.jpg" --- # Who are you? What is your distinct contribution? That is… ![“Who are you? What is your distinct contribution? That is so valuable whether it gets you anything or not. Trophies? Doesn't matter. If you know you did it, that's what keeps you going, you know? Success is illusive.” quote by Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/rodney-mullen-25454_contribution_who-are-you-what-is-your-distinct-contri_2869393.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/rodney-mullen-25454_contribution_who-are-you-what-is-your-distinct-contri_2869393.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/rodney-mullen-25454_contribution_who-are-you-what-is-your-distinct-contri_2869393.jpg) > “Who are you? What is your distinct contribution? That is so valuable whether it gets you anything or not. Trophies? Doesn't matter. If you know you did it, that's what keeps you going, you know? Success is illusive.” [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding your unique value fuels motivation, regardless of external rewards; success is fleeting without personal fulfillment. **In simple terms:** Know your contribution to stay motivated. Key Takeaway Focus on personal impact. Themes self-identity motivation success Mood introspective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - personal milestones Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What is your distinct contribution? - How do you measure personal success? A Different Perspective External validation can still influence self-worth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Contribution Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution-valuable-3635516/) [Distinct Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinct-contribution-3916848/) [Gets Trophies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gets-trophies-3916849/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Success Illusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-illusive-3916850/) [Trophies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trophies/) [Trophies Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trophies-doesn-3893979/) [Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable/) ## Related quotes > [My target is winning trophies. It doesn't matter which kind of trophy it is, I want to win all of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/my-target-is-winning-trophies-it-doesn-t-matter-which-kind-of-trophy/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [When you're not playing up to your capability, you gotta try everything, to motivate, to get them going. All of them have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lasorda/when-you-re-not-playing-up-to-your-capability-you-gotta-try/) [Tommy Lasorda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lasorda/) > [You have brilliance in you, your contribution is valuable, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do, and you must.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-have-brilliance-in-you-your-contribution-is-valuable-and-the-art/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“You must not just dare to win, but to travail and build a character that wins trophies”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gyimah-boadi/you-must-not-just-dare-to-win-but-to-travail-and-build-a-character/) [David Gyimah Boadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gyimah-boadi/) > [When you play for Chelsea you always want to win trophies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-havertz/when-you-play-for-chelsea-you-always-want-to-win-trophies/) [Kai Havertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-havertz/) > [I came to United to win trophies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-de-gea/i-came-to-united-to-win-trophies/) [David de Gea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-de-gea/) > [It's all about winning trophies really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/it-s-all-about-winning-trophies-really/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [Just going out on a foray to assemble a collection of street trophies about this or that running social sore can't be effective -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-rosler/just-going-out-on-a-foray-to-assemble-a-collection-of-street-trophies/) [Martha Rosler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-rosler/) > [Listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act could harm bear conservation efforts by eliminating revenues from the carefully-regulated sport hunting of polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ridenour/listing-the-polar-bear-under-the-endangered-species-act-could-harm/) [Amy Ridenour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ridenour/) > [I'm hearing in youth sports where you're not allowed to post scores of games online; everybody's gotta get a trophy. I mean, that's ridiculous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carli-lloyd/i-m-hearing-in-youth-sports-where-you-re-not-allowed-to-post-scores/) [Carli Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carli-lloyd/) > [To me it's the best trophy you can win and to bring it back for all them fans that have supported us right through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-gerrard/to-me-it-s-the-best-trophy-you-can-win-and-to-bring-it-back-for-all/) [Steven Gerrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-gerrard/) > [There is a congratulatory culture in the Gulf. From birth onwards, there is a culture of giving people trophies as markers of achievement for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayshay/there-is-a-congratulatory-culture-in-the-gulf-from-birth-onwards/) [Ayshay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayshay/) > [He put his arms around her. “Well, in my defense, then, whatever I did seemed to work, didn't it?” She sighed. “I suppose.” “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-put-his-arms-around-her-well-in-my-defense-then-whatever-i-did/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Happiness is not about the trophy, or the finish line. It's the journey. If you enjoy your journey, you can enjoy your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/happiness-is-not-about-the-trophy-or-the-finish-line-it-s-the-journey/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [You've just got to keep working hard, keep plugging along. That's how great teams win more trophies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-bale/you-ve-just-got-to-keep-working-hard-keep-plugging-along-that-s-how/) [Gareth Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-bale/) ## More by Rodney Mullen > [Any eyes on me - a late-night street sweeper, some dude texting in his parked car, the homeless guy talking to himself - make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/any-eyes-on-me-a-late-night-street-sweeper-some-dude-texting-in-his/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [I've been all around the world, and there will be a thousand kids crying out your name, and it's such a weird, visceral experience.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/i-ve-been-all-around-the-world-and-there-will-be-a-thousand-kids/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [The biggest obstacle to creativity is breaking through the barrier of disbelief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/the-biggest-obstacle-to-creativity-is-breaking-through-the-barrier-of/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [Beethoven’s music always struck me. Always. He had this fire you know. I remember reading this story of him going deaf and pushing himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/beethoven-s-music-always-struck-me-always-he-had-this-fire-you-know-i/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [The degree to which we connect to a community is in proportion to our individuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/the-degree-to-which-we-connect-to-a-community-is-in-proportion-to-our/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [Skateboarding is as much, or more, an art of mode of expression than it is a sport. What skateboarding has given me is precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/skateboarding-is-as-much-or-more-an-art-of-mode-of-expression-than-it/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [I fell in love with skateboarding because it was individual; there were no teams, there were no captains, there was nothing to perfect. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/i-fell-in-love-with-skateboarding-because-it-was-individual-there/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [It puts a ceiling on your progress. You're blocked by your pride. To get good, you have to throw your board around and fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/it-puts-a-ceiling-on-your-progress-you-re-blocked-by-your-pride-to/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [What it is is that there's an intrinsic value in creating something for the sake of creating it, and better than that ... there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/what-it-is-is-that-there-s-an-intrinsic-value-in-creating-something/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [It wasn't until '79 I won my first amateur championship, and then, by '81, I was 14, and I won my first world championship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/it-wasn-t-until-79-i-won-my-first-amateur-championship-and-then-by-81/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [Do what you love and try not to look at what other people occupy themselves with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/do-what-you-love-and-try-not-to-look-at-what-other-people-occupy/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [I can't wait to wake up and try something new. I can't sleep at night because I want to try something new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/i-can-t-wait-to-wake-up-and-try-something-new-i-can-t-sleep-at-night/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [As a kid, I grew up on a farm in Florida, and I did what most little kids do. I played a little baseball,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/as-a-kid-i-grew-up-on-a-farm-in-florida-and-i-did-what-most-little/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [Skaters, I think they tend to be outsiders who seek a sense of belonging, but belonging on their own terms, and real respect is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/skaters-i-think-they-tend-to-be-outsiders-who-seek-a-sense-of/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [There's an intrinsic value in creating something for the sake of creating it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/there-s-an-intrinsic-value-in-creating-something-for-the-sake-of/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) [Explore all 23 Rodney Mullen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) ## More Contribution quotes > [You should avoid hedging, at least that's what I think. You should be ashamed to die until you've made some contribution to mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-johns/you-should-avoid-hedging-at-least-that-s-what-i-think-you-should-be/) [Vernon Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-johns/) > [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I love Black Sabbath. They made an amazing contribution to music today. Almost every band that made it big in the Nineties owed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-love-black-sabbath-they-made-an-amazing-contribution-to-music-today/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [There is still zero empirical evidence that anthropogenic production of CO2 is making any measurable contribution to the world's present warming trend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-still-zero-empirical-evidence-that-anthropogenic-production/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. His contribution as a goal threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-have-nothing-but-praise-for-the-boy-he-is-easily-the-best-player-in/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [The way a culture treats women in birth is a good indicator of how well women and their contributions to society are valued and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/the-way-a-culture-treats-women-in-birth-is-a-good-indicator-of-how/) [Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/) > [The excellence of this important contribution to genre literature CANNOT be overstated A masterwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-nolan/the-excellence-of-this-important-contribution-to-genre-literature/) [William F. Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-nolan/) > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Fundamentally transforming the foundations of the economy is the biggest contribution we can make towards building a sustainable future. The current economic crisis may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-porritt/fundamentally-transforming-the-foundations-of-the-economy-is-the/) [Jonathon Porritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-porritt/) > [I think self-deprecation is such a disease, and I want to cure everybody of it and so that's my contribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/i-think-self-deprecation-is-such-a-disease-and-i-want-to-cure/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [It is in the measure that special methods acknowledge their common core in transcendental method, that norms common to all the sciences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/it-is-in-the-measure-that-special-methods-acknowledge-their-common/) [Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/) > [Chaperons, even in their days of glory, were almost never able to enforce morality; what they did was to force immorality to be discreet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/chaperons-even-in-their-days-of-glory-were-almost-never-able-to/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [Replace your pursuit of success with the pursuit of contribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/replace-your-pursuit-of-success-with-the-pursuit-of-contribution/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [There is no art or science that is too difficult for industry to attain to; it is the gift of tongues, and makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/there-is-no-art-or-science-that-is-too-difficult-for-industry-to/) [Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Browse all 1,297 Contribution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Who are you? 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