--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't play the game to lose." description: "\"I don't play the game to lose.\" — Shawn Bradley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/shawn-bradley-5669_game_i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose-1281833_1281833.jpg" --- # I don't play the game to lose. ![“I don't play the game to lose.” quote by Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/shawn-bradley-5669_game_i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose-1281833_1281833.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/shawn-bradley-5669_game_i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose-1281833_1281833.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/shawn-bradley-5669_game_i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose-1281833_1281833.jpg) > “I don't play the game to lose.” [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker is committed to winning and does not intend to lose, emphasizing a competitive mindset. **In simple terms:** I aim to win. Key Takeaway Focus on victory. Themes competition determination confidence goal‑orientation Mood confident assertive Type sports personal development When to use this quote - team sports - business negotiations - personal challenges Key Concepts sports psychology performance theory Questions to Reflect On - What strategies keep you focused? - How do you handle defeat? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Game Lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-lose-413210/) [Lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-game/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) ## Related quotes > [Love is like a game,when you lose just try again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delves-amion/love-is-like-a-game-when-you-lose-just-try-again/) [Delves Amion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delves-amion/) > [I want to play every meaningful play in the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bosa/i-want-to-play-every-meaningful-play-in-the-game/) [Nick Bosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bosa/) > [You don't play the game to lose. But I also understand that if people are giving their 100% effort, giving it all they've got,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/you-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose-but-i-also-understand-that-if-people/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [Every game that you lose it hurts, but especially when you lead 2-1, and you lose 4-2.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-lloris/every-game-that-you-lose-it-hurts-but-especially-when-you-lead-2-1/) [Hugo Lloris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-lloris/) > [You have to play the game. It's about being marketable, it's about being able to be promotable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-anderson/you-have-to-play-the-game-it-s-about-being-marketable-it-s-about/) [Megan Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-anderson/) > [It's football. I get hit all the time. That's what you sign up for when you play the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-kittle/it-s-football-i-get-hit-all-the-time-that-s-what-you-sign-up-for-when/) [George Kittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-kittle/) > [“Play your game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-brooks/play-your-game/) [Herb Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-brooks/) > [Physical play is part of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/physical-play-is-part-of-the-game/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [Whenever you play the game, you just want the game to be on the up and up. You don't want to ever lose a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-woodson/whenever-you-play-the-game-you-just-want-the-game-to-be-on-the-up-and/) [Charles Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-woodson/) > [I think the tennis is only a game. You can lose. You can win. After that? In life, there are much more important things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-nadal/i-think-the-tennis-is-only-a-game-you-can-lose-you-can-win-after-that/) [Rafael Nadal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-nadal/) > [Beware of the players, they'll steal your heart and they'll give it back, all torn apart. Don't let them suck you into their game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/beware-of-the-players-they-ll-steal-your-heart-and-they-ll-give-it/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [In this league, you can lose to anybody. It don't matter who it is. It don't matter if they lost every single game. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquill-griffin/in-this-league-you-can-lose-to-anybody-it-don-t-matter-who-it-is-it/) [Shaquill Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquill-griffin/) > [It happens so quick. You lose a game; you lose another game; it's a World Cup; media scrutiny; public expectation, and then you almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-arthur/it-happens-so-quick-you-lose-a-game-you-lose-another-game-it-s-a/) [Mickey Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-arthur/) > [Italians can't win the game against you, but you can lose the game against the Italians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-cruijff/italians-can-t-win-the-game-against-you-but-you-can-lose-the-game/) [Johan Cruijff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-cruijff/) > [You could come out and play a flawless game and still lose to a quality team; you could do things right, but they hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-ginobili/you-could-come-out-and-play-a-flawless-game-and-still-lose-to-a/) [Manu Ginobili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-ginobili/) ## More by Shawn Bradley > [Well, you know what, I was who I am and I'm not going to change that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/well-you-know-what-i-was-who-i-am-and-i-m-not-going-to-change-that/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [Basketball's not the only thing in my life. It shouldn't be in anyone's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/basketball-s-not-the-only-thing-in-my-life-it-shouldn-t-be-in-anyone/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [There are times when I've been struggling and I get down on myself and my game. I have to remind myself that I've loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/there-are-times-when-i-ve-been-struggling-and-i-get-down-on-myself/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [My first baby toy was a basketball and ever since, I've had a basketball in my hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/my-first-baby-toy-was-a-basketball-and-ever-since-i-ve-had-a/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [I love being who I am. And I would not trade it for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-love-being-who-i-am-and-i-would-not-trade-it-for-anything/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [I have had a very fun, positive experience in seminary. It's taught me a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-have-had-a-very-fun-positive-experience-in-seminary-it-s-taught-me/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [My goal is to be the best I can be for as long as I can, wherever I play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/my-goal-is-to-be-the-best-i-can-be-for-as-long-as-i-can-wherever-i/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [I just plan on enjoying being tall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-just-plan-on-enjoying-being-tall/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [I have been tall a long time and learned to deal with it at a young age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-have-been-tall-a-long-time-and-learned-to-deal-with-it-at-a-young/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [The girl I took to the prom was 5-4. When we slow-danced, she stood on a chair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/the-girl-i-took-to-the-prom-was-5-4-when-we-slow-danced-she-stood-on/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [I started to think I could do just as much by playing basketball and setting a good sporting example than I could by going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-started-to-think-i-could-do-just-as-much-by-playing-basketball-and/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [I always felt as if force-feeding wasn't natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-always-felt-as-if-force-feeding-wasn-t-natural/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [I love being tall. I see guys who don't handle it so well, like that Dwayne Schintzius of Florida. I don't want to sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-love-being-tall-i-see-guys-who-don-t-handle-it-so-well-like-that/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [My mom makes my dress pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/my-mom-makes-my-dress-pants/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [Going to the draft, I took two years off to serve my church and my God. There were no secrets, there was no deception;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/going-to-the-draft-i-took-two-years-off-to-serve-my-church-and-my-god/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) [Explore all 99 Shawn Bradley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) ## More Game quotes > [Raised by game where niggas ain't phased by fame. Come to the crib, get banged, they take your chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/common/raised-by-game-where-niggas-ain-t-phased-by-fame-come-to-the-crib-get/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/common/) > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [I've been lucky enough to, for the most part, surround myself with a lot of people who are more talented than me and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-for-the-most-part-surround-myself-with-a/) [Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/) > [It's no wonder Pep is one of the best coaches in the world. When I knew I could work with him I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/it-s-no-wonder-pep-is-one-of-the-best-coaches-in-the-world-when-i/) [Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/) > [I loved the game so much that even though our playing field was muddy and we had many trees on it, I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-clemente/i-loved-the-game-so-much-that-even-though-our-playing-field-was-muddy/) [Roberto Clemente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-clemente/) > [I've always been very hard on myself, and I never want to get to a point where I'm like, 'Alright, I'm kicking butt,' but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-sauerbrunn/i-ve-always-been-very-hard-on-myself-and-i-never-want-to-get-to-a/) [Becky Sauerbrunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-sauerbrunn/) > [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/) [Gene Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-scott/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Often in my game as an actor, someone else pays for your travel and there's nothing like being able to lie flat on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioan-gruffudd/often-in-my-game-as-an-actor-someone-else-pays-for-your-travel-and/) [Ioan Gruffudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioan-gruffudd/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [With the Capital One Bowl, the average fan might think whoopty do. But if you are a team member, you win that game and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/with-the-capital-one-bowl-the-average-fan-might-think-whoopty-do-but/) [Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/) > [I remember throughout middle school and high school how excited my mom, sister and I would be when a UNC game was on TV.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-barnes/i-remember-throughout-middle-school-and-high-school-how-excited-my/) [Harrison Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-barnes/) > [Obviously, I want to win, but at the same time, at the end of the day, it's a game and that's what I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-rendon/obviously-i-want-to-win-but-at-the-same-time-at-the-end-of-the-day-it/) [Anthony Rendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-rendon/) > [It's more than a game. It's an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/it-s-more-than-a-game-it-s-an-institution/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [There are things you can do in training like learn from the manager and talk with team-mates, but it's the game that tests you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-burke/there-are-things-you-can-do-in-training-like-learn-from-the-manager/) [Oliver Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-burke/) [Browse all 13,309 Game quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't play the game to lose.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shawn Bradley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Game" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/shawn-bradley-5669_game_i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose-1281833_1281833.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/shawn-bradley-5669_game_i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose-1281833_1281833.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/shawn-bradley-5669_game_i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose-1281833_1281833.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't play the game to lose.” — Shawn Bradley", "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": "Shawn Bradley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't play the game to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-don-t-play-the-game-to-lose/#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 } } ] } ```