--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that if I was only known for who…" description: "\"I think that if I was only known for who I was as a football player and only that, it just would have been a tragedy.\" — Ryan Leaf" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/ryan-leaf-6956_ball-player_i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who_2921864.jpg" --- # I think that if I was only known for who I was as a… ![“I think that if I was only known for who I was as a football player and only that, it just would have been a tragedy.” quote by Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/ryan-leaf-6956_ball-player_i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who_2921864.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/ryan-leaf-6956_ball-player_i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who_2921864.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/ryan-leaf-6956_ball-player_i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who_2921864.jpg) > “I think that if I was only known for who I was as a football player and only that, it just would have been a tragedy.” [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being known solely for football would be a personal tragedy, highlighting the need for broader identity. **In simple terms:** Only being a football player feels tragic. Key Takeaway Cultivate diverse passions beyond sport. Themes identity legacy career selfworth Mood reflective motivational Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - post‑sports transition - public speaking Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What other roles define you? - How can you expand your personal narrative? A Different Perspective One‑dimensional identity limits fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Football player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football-player/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) ## Related quotes > [I am just at tragedy right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tig-notaro/i-am-just-at-tragedy-right-now/) [Tig Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tig-notaro/) > [I am not a movie star or a football player, I just do my thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manolo-blahnik/i-am-not-a-movie-star-or-a-football-player-i-just-do-my-thing/) [Manolo Blahnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manolo-blahnik/) > [I think Georges Feydeau said comedy is just tragedy speeded up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mortimer/i-think-georges-feydeau-said-comedy-is-just-tragedy-speeded-up/) [Emily Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mortimer/) > [I'm going to prepare like hell to be a great football player. That's what I do, that's what I work for, and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-haskins/i-m-going-to-prepare-like-hell-to-be-a-great-football-player-that-s/) [Dwayne Haskins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-haskins/) > [I knew I was going to be a football player; I just didn't know how. It was the only thing I was doing, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadio-mane/i-knew-i-was-going-to-be-a-football-player-i-just-didn-t-know-how-it/) [Sadio Mane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadio-mane/) > [I've always known football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-aikman/i-ve-always-known-football/) [Troy Aikman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-aikman/) > [All I have ever known is football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-ings/all-i-have-ever-known-is-football/) [Danny Ings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-ings/) > [Since Japan is little known in football in the world, we want to play good football and make a huge impact so that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinji-kagawa/since-japan-is-little-known-in-football-in-the-world-we-want-to-play/) [Shinji Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinji-kagawa/) > [But I just want to be known for my football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-redknapp/but-i-just-want-to-be-known-for-my-football/) [Jamie Redknapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-redknapp/) > [I love sports. If I could be a baseball player I would. I just am not good at it at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hutchinson/i-love-sports-if-i-could-be-a-baseball-player-i-would-i-just-am-not/) [Eric Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hutchinson/) > [The goalkeeper also should not be the one with the most contact on the ball. In almost every league and every country, the goalkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralf-rangnick/the-goalkeeper-also-should-not-be-the-one-with-the-most-contact-on/) [Ralf Rangnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralf-rangnick/) > [I was a good football player, and I had a chance to play with some great players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/i-was-a-good-football-player-and-i-had-a-chance-to-play-with-some/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [MOST AMAZING FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD && IN REAL MADRID](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-amazing-football-player-in-the-entire-world-in-real-madrid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I competed every day as a professional football player... You've got to like competing. That's how your team gets better, when you have competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-competed-every-day-as-a-professional-football-player-you-ve-got-to/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [I have friends in other industries but if I am training for a wrestling match, I would turn to the best wrestler to train,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-aries/i-have-friends-in-other-industries-but-if-i-am-training-for-a/) [Austin Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-aries/) ## More by Ryan Leaf > [I was a talented egomaniac with a self-esteem problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-was-a-talented-egomaniac-with-a-self-esteem-problem/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I mean, Mike Riley is an idiot, but I can't do anything to change that. He wasn't supposed to be a head coach in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-mean-mike-riley-is-an-idiot-but-i-can-t-do-anything-to-change-that/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I don't judge anybody until I meet them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-don-t-judge-anybody-until-i-meet-them/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [The farther I go East in the U.S. the more I get recognized because of more sports crazy the East Coast is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/the-farther-i-go-east-in-the-u-s-the-more-i-get-recognized-because-of/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [When I enjoyed football the most was when I wasn't getting paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/when-i-enjoyed-football-the-most-was-when-i-wasn-t-getting-paid/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I'm actually pretty reserved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-m-actually-pretty-reserved/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I had always been a quick healer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-had-always-been-a-quick-healer/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I had many orthopedic surgeries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-had-many-orthopedic-surgeries/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I was always worried about what others were thinking about me or how I was being perceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-was-always-worried-about-what-others-were-thinking-about-me-or-how/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I had this giant ego of an athlete, but I was self-conscious at everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-had-this-giant-ego-of-an-athlete-but-i-was-self-conscious-at/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [If you deny the fact that things are happening to you, that this is going on, whether it's negative or positive, you're just putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/if-you-deny-the-fact-that-things-are-happening-to-you-that-this-is/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I don't care if I go 2 for 40. If we win, it doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-don-t-care-if-i-go-2-for-40-if-we-win-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I do follow the NFL. It took me a while to get back into it, but I do follow it religiously now. Huge Packers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-do-follow-the-nfl-it-took-me-a-while-to-get-back-into-it-but-i-do/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [I don't know if I was ever meant to have that flashy lifestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-don-t-know-if-i-was-ever-meant-to-have-that-flashy-lifestyle/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [You don't want to say the money changes you, but it definitely does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/you-don-t-want-to-say-the-money-changes-you-but-it-definitely-does/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) [Explore all 95 Ryan Leaf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) ## More Ball player quotes > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I have friends in other industries but if I am training for a wrestling match, I would turn to the best wrestler to train,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-aries/i-have-friends-in-other-industries-but-if-i-am-training-for-a/) [Austin Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-aries/) > [And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-i-want-to-do-it-the-right-way-like-everybody-else-not-just-a/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [I competed every day as a professional football player... You've got to like competing. That's how your team gets better, when you have competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-competed-every-day-as-a-professional-football-player-you-ve-got-to/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [“I can’t wait to knock you up and have a whole team of little baseball players around this place!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sterling/i-can-t-wait-to-knock-you-up-and-have-a-whole-team-of-little-baseball/) [J. Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sterling/) > [MOST AMAZING FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD && IN REAL MADRID](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-amazing-football-player-in-the-entire-world-in-real-madrid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My older brothers were both basketball players so I just grew up around the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/my-older-brothers-were-both-basketball-players-so-i-just-grew-up/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) > [I'm a basketball player, so I want to do whatever I've got to do to be on the floor and I'm prepared for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/i-m-a-basketball-player-so-i-want-to-do-whatever-i-ve-got-to-do-to-be/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) > [“Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere. While others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-yourself-in-print-is-such-an-amazing-concept-you-can-get-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People say baseball players should go out and have fun. No way. To me, baseball is pressure, I always feel it. This is work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-eckersley/people-say-baseball-players-should-go-out-and-have-fun-no-way-to-me/) [Dennis Eckersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-eckersley/) > [Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/canada-is-a-country-whose-main-exports-are-hockey-players-and-cold/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [“The great thing about baseball players, from the point of view of personal hygiene, is how seldom they break a sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-great-thing-about-baseball-players-from-the-point-of-view-of/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [A lot of scouts and people are enamored with athleticism and youth. So they take that any day over mature, high-quality basketball players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/a-lot-of-scouts-and-people-are-enamored-with-athleticism-and-youth-so/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [I'm a baseball player. I've done this my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/i-m-a-baseball-player-i-ve-done-this-my-whole-life/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) Browse all 1,395 Ball player quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that if I was only known for who I was as a football player and only that, it just would have been a tragedy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ryan Leaf" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who-i-was-as-a-football-player/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ball player" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who-i-was-as-a-football-player/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/ryan-leaf-6956_ball-player_i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who_2921864.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/ryan-leaf-6956_ball-player_i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who_2921864.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/ryan-leaf-6956_ball-player_i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who_2921864.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that if I was only known for who I was as a football player and only that, it just would have been a…” — Ryan Leaf", "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": "Ryan Leaf", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that if I was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who-i-was-as-a-football-player/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/i-think-that-if-i-was-only-known-for-who-i-was-as-a-football-player/#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 } } ] } ```