--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you’re going to quit, quit before you…" description: "\"“If you’re going to quit, quit before you start. Reject the system. Don’t play the game if you realize you can’t be the best in the world. Average”\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c0/seth-godin-152_quit_if-you-re-going-to-quit-quit-before-you_753733.png" --- # If you’re going to quit, quit before you start. Reject the… ![“If you’re going to quit, quit before you start. Reject the system. Don’t play the game if you realize you can’t be the best in the world. Average” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c0/seth-godin-152_quit_if-you-re-going-to-quit-quit-before-you_753733.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c0/seth-godin-152_quit_if-you-re-going-to-quit-quit-before-you_753733.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c0/seth-godin-152_quit_if-you-re-going-to-quit-quit-before-you_753733.png) > ““If you’re going to quit, quit before you start. Reject the system. Don’t play the game if you realize you can’t be the best in the world. Average”” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Quit before you begin if you cannot accept the competitive system; embrace alternative paths rather than striving for impossible standards. **In simple terms:** If you can’t be the best, consider quitting early and find a different route. Key Takeaway Seek unconventional routes instead of futile competition. Themes competition self‑acceptance alternative success risk creativity Mood direct challenging motivational Type business self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - creative projects - startup ventures Key Concepts entrepreneurship personal growth non‑conformity Questions to Reflect On - What standards do you chase? - How can you redefine success for yourself? A Different Perspective Quitting early may prevent learning from failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Going Quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-quit-781188/) [Quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit/) [Quit Quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit-quit-843816/) [Quit Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit-start-4037858/) [Reject](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reject/) ## Related quotes > [“May you be tired and afraid overwhelmed and ready to quit. Quit! Start over, over ten thousand times over roll out, get up, fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maezen-miller/may-you-be-tired-and-afraid-overwhelmed-and-ready-to-quit-quit-start/) [Karen Maezen Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maezen-miller/) > [I'm not going to quit. Why should I quit? This country is worth fighting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-m-not-going-to-quit-why-should-i-quit-this-country-is-worth/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [You always say 'I'll quit when I start to slide', and then one morning you wake up and realize you've done slid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-robinson/you-always-say-i-ll-quit-when-i-start-to-slide-and-then-one-morning/) [Sugar Ray Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-robinson/) > [If you can quit, then quit. If you can't quit, you're a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-quit-then-quit-if-you-can-t-quit-you-re-a-writer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/winners-quit-fast-quit-often-and-quit-without-guilt/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [...to quit at all is to quit too soon!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-edison/to-quit-at-all-is-to-quit-too-soon/) [Thomas Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-edison/) > [They ask me if I'm going to quit. I thought we were just getting started. We have a revolution to fight, a country to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/they-ask-me-if-i-m-going-to-quit-i-thought-we-were-just-getting/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [There's certain things that I was taught growing up about not quitting and seeing things through. I think if I would have come home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/there-s-certain-things-that-i-was-taught-growing-up-about-not/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [I don't quit. If someone quits on me, that's on them, but I'm not going to quit, especially if I say I'm gonna do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diamond-dallas-page/i-don-t-quit-if-someone-quits-on-me-that-s-on-them-but-i-m-not-going/) [Diamond Dallas Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diamond-dallas-page/) > [A couple of weeks before I started auditioning for 'Sex Education,' I was very convinced I was going to quit acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ncuti-gatwa/a-couple-of-weeks-before-i-started-auditioning-for-sex-education-i/) [Ncuti Gatwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ncuti-gatwa/) > [The best way to quit is to never start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha/the-best-way-to-quit-is-to-never-start/) [Aisha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha/) > [The stuff I do, I do every day, and I've been doing it for long periods of time. I don't start and quit-ever. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/the-stuff-i-do-i-do-every-day-and-i-ve-been-doing-it-for-long-periods/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [The trouble with most people is that they quit before they start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-trouble-with-most-people-is-that-they-quit-before-they-start/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [“How often do people start down a path and then give up on it entirely? How many treadmills, exercise bikes, and weight sets are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/how-often-do-people-start-down-a-path-and-then-give-up-on-it-entirely/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“Many of us, it seems, quit what we start far too early and far too often. Even more than the effort a gritty person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/many-of-us-it-seems-quit-what-we-start-far-too-early-and-far-too/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Quit quotes > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wc-fields/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-try-again-then-quit-no-use-being-a/) [WC Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wc-fields/) > [It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-easy-to-quit-smoking-i-ve-done-it-hundreds-of-times/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Never, never, never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-never-never-give-up/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Find out whats possible, If you never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-mahone/find-out-whats-possible-if-you-never-give-up/) [Austin Mahone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-mahone/) > [Never quit! It gives those who stand with you too much pain and those who stand against you too much satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/never-quit-it-gives-those-who-stand-with-you-too-much-pain-and-those/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Raise up the people beside you & quit worshipping those above you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brogan/raise-up-the-people-beside-you-quit-worshipping-those-above-you/) [Chris Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brogan/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. What is common there is failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/quitters-don-t-gain-what-they-have-started-working-on-waiters-don-t/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I worked at a Sport Chek in Vancouver, only so I could get the discount off snowboard gear. But I hated the job so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-peregrym/i-worked-at-a-sport-chek-in-vancouver-only-so-i-could-get-the/) [Missy Peregrym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missy-peregrym/) > [I have decided to quit as I.P.L. Chairman. It is a decision which I was pondering over for some time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajeev-shukla/i-have-decided-to-quit-as-i-p-l-chairman-it-is-a-decision-which-i-was/) [Rajeev Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajeev-shukla/) > [Never give up on something when in fact you know that it's the only thing that could make you happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariejoie-uro/never-give-up-on-something-when-in-fact-you-know-that-it-s-the-only/) [Mariejoie Uro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariejoie-uro/) > [I just tried not to just quit. Because sometimes I did have a tendency to think that I would never be back I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-green/i-just-tried-not-to-just-quit-because-sometimes-i-did-have-a-tendency/) [Gerald Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-green/) > [This is your life do wat you love, and do it often. if you don't like something, change it. if you don't like your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiea/this-is-your-life-do-wat-you-love-and-do-it-often-if-you-don-t-like/) [Amiea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiea/) > [Never, ever, ever give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/never-ever-ever-give-up/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [If I tell a man he needs to quit his soul-sucking job, he has to go home and fight with his wife or fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/if-i-tell-a-man-he-needs-to-quit-his-soul-sucking-job-he-has-to-go/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) [Browse all 1,766 Quit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you’re going to quit, quit before you start. Reject the system. Don’t play the game if you realize you can’t be the best in the world. 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