--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had a very ordinary background in…" description: "\"I had a very ordinary background in Sheffield; I went to a secondary modern, but I saw something on TV in 1968 that inspired me to join an athletics cl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/sebastian-coe-8305_athletics_i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-shef_1424190.jpg" --- # I had a very ordinary background in Sheffield; I went to a… ![“I had a very ordinary background in Sheffield; I went to a secondary modern, but I saw something on TV in 1968 that inspired me to join an athletics club, and 12 years later, with great coaching and the support of people who loved me a lot, I ended up at an Olympic Games.” quote by Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/sebastian-coe-8305_athletics_i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-shef_1424190.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/sebastian-coe-8305_athletics_i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-shef_1424190.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/sebastian-coe-8305_athletics_i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-shef_1424190.jpg) > “I had a very ordinary background in Sheffield; I went to a secondary modern, but I saw something on TV in 1968 that inspired me to join an athletics club, and 12 years later, with great coaching and the support of people who loved me a lot, I ended up at an Olympic Games.” [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A modest upbringing and a single inspiring moment can spark a lifelong pursuit, leading to elite achievement with support and dedication. **In simple terms:** An ordinary start can lead to Olympic success with inspiration and help. Key Takeaway Seek inspiration, build support, stay dedicated. Themes inspiration achievement support dedication Mood proud reflective Type motivational biographical When to use this quote - school sports - community clubs - elite training - career transitions Key Concepts self‑efficacy role models social capital Questions to Reflect On - What moment sparked your passion? - How can communities nurture hidden talent? A Different Perspective Talent alone isn’t enough; systemic barriers can limit opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Athletics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletics/) [Coaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coaching/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Great coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-coach/) [Great coaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-coaching/) [Olympic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olympic/) [Olympic games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olympic-games/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) ## Related quotes > [I joined the local athletics club when I was 12, that's what I did. I did it of my own volition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-joined-the-local-athletics-club-when-i-was-12-that-s-what-i-did-i/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [When I moved to Sheffield and went to a secondary modern in the Seventies, there were certain challenges: if you've got a name like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/when-i-moved-to-sheffield-and-went-to-a-secondary-modern-in-the/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [After studying in Sheffield, I went down to London to do my post-graduate degree at the National Film and Television School, embarking on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/after-studying-in-sheffield-i-went-down-to-london-to-do-my-post/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual. People who work together will win, whether it be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/the-achievements-of-an-organization-are-the-results-of-the-combined/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/winning-is-not-a-sometime-thing-it-s-an-all-the-time-thing/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/the-price-of-success-is-hard-work-dedication-to-the-job-at-hand/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [Pressure is what you feel when you don't know what's going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/pressure-is-what-you-feel-when-you-don-t-know-what-s-going-on/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/a-man-can-be-as-great-as-he-wants-to-be-if-you-believe-in-yourself/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [The greatest accomplishment is not in never failing, but in rising again after you fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/the-greatest-accomplishment-is-not-in-never-failing-but-in-rising/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [If I hadn't had mentors, I wouldn't be here today. I'm a product of great mentoring, great coaching... Coaches or mentors are very important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indra-nooyi/if-i-hadn-t-had-mentors-i-wouldn-t-be-here-today-i-m-a-product-of/) [Indra Nooyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indra-nooyi/) > [I love listening to Coach Belichick's press conferences: even though they may not be what the media wants, they're great coaching, teaching tools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-gundy/i-love-listening-to-coach-belichick-s-press-conferences-even-though/) [Jeff Van Gundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-gundy/) > [Football isn't a contact sport, it's a collision sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-daugherty/football-isn-t-a-contact-sport-it-s-a-collision-sport/) [Duffy Daugherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-daugherty/) > [A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ara-parseghian/a-good-coach-will-make-his-players-see-what-they-can-be-rather-than/) [Ara Parseghian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ara-parseghian/) > [I've been lucky to have great coaching, great teammates, and a desire to keep getting better. That, slowly over time, helped me grow from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/i-ve-been-lucky-to-have-great-coaching-great-teammates-and-a-desire/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/i-think-you-can-accomplish-anything-if-you-re-willing-to-pay-the-price/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) ## More by Sebastian Coe > [Sport was an integral part of school life. The most influential teachers were not necessarily the PE teachers, but the teachers who helped me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/sport-was-an-integral-part-of-school-life-the-most-influential/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Marathons don't come to you overnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/marathons-don-t-come-to-you-overnight/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Blink and you miss a sprint. The 10,000 meters is lap after lap of waiting. Theatrically, the mile is just the right length: beginning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/blink-and-you-miss-a-sprint-the-10-000-meters-is-lap-after-lap-of/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Competing is exciting and winning is exhilarating, but the true prize will always be the self-knowledge and understanding that you have gained along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/competing-is-exciting-and-winning-is-exhilarating-but-the-true-prize/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [I don't think I am a workaholic. I prefer to keep busy. It is better than the alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-don-t-think-i-am-a-workaholic-i-prefer-to-keep-busy-it-is-better/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [I will go to my grave believing that participation is best driven by the well-stocked shop window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-will-go-to-my-grave-believing-that-participation-is-best-driven-by/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Tomorrow is another day, and there will be another battle!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/tomorrow-is-another-day-and-there-will-be-another-battle/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [I'm probably one of the few people who can say I did all three types of state sector schooling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-m-probably-one-of-the-few-people-who-can-say-i-did-all-three-types/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [If you lived in Sheffield and were called Sebastian, you had to learn to run fast at a very early stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/if-you-lived-in-sheffield-and-were-called-sebastian-you-had-to-learn/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [I believed that we had to answer the question: Why are we doing this? And it wasn’t until we started to articulate, internally as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-believed-that-we-had-to-answer-the-question-why-are-we-doing-this/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Everybody recognises that giving young people competitive outlet through sport is a very good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/everybody-recognises-that-giving-young-people-competitive-outlet/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [You hope all good athletes run on the balls of their feet. You don't want them coming down heel first. The perfect style is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/you-hope-all-good-athletes-run-on-the-balls-of-their-feet-you-don-t/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Football was not what I was put on this planet to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/football-was-not-what-i-was-put-on-this-planet-to-do/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [To anyone who has started out on a long campaign believing that the gold medal was destined for him, the feeling when, all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/to-anyone-who-has-started-out-on-a-long-campaign-believing-that-the/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Getting the Games for London has been the fulfilment of a dream. It is one which I truly believe can change the lives of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/getting-the-games-for-london-has-been-the-fulfilment-of-a-dream-it-is/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) [Explore all 82 Sebastian Coe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) ## More Athletics quotes > [We want to promote the great quality of athletics - and maintain it's integrity - all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-juantorena/we-want-to-promote-the-great-quality-of-athletics-and-maintain-it-s/) [Alberto Juantorena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-juantorena/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes > [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/) > [The Games have been decimated. If you take away the Eastern Bloc, you take away 50% of the medals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-pickering/the-games-have-been-decimated-if-you-take-away-the-eastern-bloc-you/) [Ron Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-pickering/) > [If you have the sense of participation in sports or athletics, of being a player, then you are not really into the Zen mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-have-the-sense-of-participation-in-sports-or-athletics-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [While receiving radiation treatment for a thyroid illness, I had refused to take beta-blockers - a medication that would have eased its side effects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-devers/while-receiving-radiation-treatment-for-a-thyroid-illness-i-had/) [Gail Devers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-devers/) > [Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training, and some are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-sheehan/everyone-is-an-athlete-the-only-difference-is-that-some-of-us-are-in/) [George A. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-sheehan/) > [And with alphabetical irony Nigeria follows New Zealand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-coleman/and-with-alphabetical-irony-nigeria-follows-new-zealand/) [David Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-coleman/) > [The very advanced practitioners of martial arts never had to raise a hand. They could knock an opponent down without physically touching them, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-very-advanced-practitioners-of-martial-arts-never-had-to-raise-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [There's discussion in athletics about how sport - where they say 'SportsCenter' has ruined the fundamentals of basketball because it's - it only applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pfeiffer/there-s-discussion-in-athletics-about-how-sport-where-they-say/) [Dan Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pfeiffer/) > [In the game of Frisbee you throw the disk to someone else. The point of Frisbee is perfect communication. The person at the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/in-the-game-of-frisbee-you-throw-the-disk-to-someone-else-the-point/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Physical perfection, working out, adds to your spiritual perfection if that is your intent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/physical-perfection-working-out-adds-to-your-spiritual-perfection-if/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If you get a great wife who understands the demands of someone in athletics, I think that's important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-romo/if-you-get-a-great-wife-who-understands-the-demands-of-someone-in/) [Tony Romo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-romo/) > [Few would deny that blacks have become very dominant in athletics: football, basketball, track, now dominant in tennis and dominant in golf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/few-would-deny-that-blacks-have-become-very-dominant-in-athletics/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Participating in athletics gives all students an opportunity to learn about themselves, to compete, to negotiate with a team and learn skills that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cardona/participating-in-athletics-gives-all-students-an-opportunity-to-learn/) [Miguel Cardona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cardona/) [Browse all 347 Athletics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had a very ordinary background in Sheffield; I went to a secondary modern, but I saw something on TV in 1968 that inspired me to join an athletics club, and 12 years later, with great coaching and the support of people who loved me a lot, I ended up at an Olympic Games.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sebastian Coe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-sheffield-i-went-to-a-secondary/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Athletics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-sheffield-i-went-to-a-secondary/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/sebastian-coe-8305_athletics_i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-shef_1424190.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/sebastian-coe-8305_athletics_i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-shef_1424190.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/sebastian-coe-8305_athletics_i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-shef_1424190.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had a very ordinary background in Sheffield; I went to a secondary modern, but I saw something on TV in…” — Sebastian Coe", "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": "Sebastian Coe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had a very ordinary background...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-sheffield-i-went-to-a-secondary/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-had-a-very-ordinary-background-in-sheffield-i-went-to-a-secondary/#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 } } ] } ```