--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The odds are always against you no matter…" description: "\"The odds are always against you no matter what your previous history is. You have to overcome the tendency to relax.\" — Tom Osborne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/tom-osborne-28728_history_the-odds-are-always-against-you-no-matte_270023.jpg" --- # The odds are always against you no matter what your… ![“The odds are always against you no matter what your previous history is. You have to overcome the tendency to relax.” quote by Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/tom-osborne-28728_history_the-odds-are-always-against-you-no-matte_270023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/tom-osborne-28728_history_the-odds-are-always-against-you-no-matte_270023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/tom-osborne-28728_history_the-odds-are-always-against-you-no-matte_270023.jpg) > “The odds are always against you no matter what your previous history is. You have to overcome the tendency to relax.” [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success demands constant effort; past achievements don’t guarantee future wins. **In simple terms:** You must keep pushing despite past success. Key Takeaway Never become complacent after winning. Themes sports motivation perseverance Mood inspirational determined Type sports self‑help When to use this quote - training - competition - career development Key Concepts growth mindset continuous improvement Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance effort and rest? - What habits prevent complacency? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on effort can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Odds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odds/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) ## Related quotes > [Nixon has enough to overcome in terms of his legacy and his political history. Now he has to overcome the in-fighting between his daughters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/nixon-has-enough-to-overcome-in-terms-of-his-legacy-and-his-political/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [If you do not overcome your tendency to give up easily, your life leads to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mas-oyama/if-you-do-not-overcome-your-tendency-to-give-up-easily-your-life/) [Mas Oyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mas-oyama/) > [Poles must understand history but we must also overcome it if it is obstructing our contemporary goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-tusk/poles-must-understand-history-but-we-must-also-overcome-it-if-it-is/) [Donald Tusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-tusk/) > [I've got to overcome that tendency to hide what I write or throw it away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-darwish/i-ve-got-to-overcome-that-tendency-to-hide-what-i-write-or-throw-it/) [Tiffany Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-darwish/) > [Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/any-man-who-can-hitch-the-length-and-breadth-of-the-galaxy-rough-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/one-needs-to-be-slow-to-form-convictions-but-once-formed-they-must-be/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/anybody-who-is-an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-who-essentially-has/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If you're going to reach for it, reach all the way for it. Albums like 'Purple Rain' and 'Thriller' and those kind of records,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/if-you-re-going-to-reach-for-it-reach-all-the-way-for-it-albums-like/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > ['I am insecure' means: I can't cope on my own. The odds are overwhelming. I can't resist them on my own. I need us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/i-am-insecure-means-i-can-t-cope-on-my-own-the-odds-are-overwhelming/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [“If you think your odds of solving your problem are bad, don’t rule out the possibility that what is really happening is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-think-your-odds-of-solving-your-problem-are-bad-don-t-rule-out/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [A lot of Broadway has that immigrant narrative of America as a place where you can become something else against all odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-kass/a-lot-of-broadway-has-that-immigrant-narrative-of-america-as-a-place/) [Deborah Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-kass/) > [“The odds may be good, but the goods may be odd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerusha-jones/the-odds-may-be-good-but-the-goods-may-be-odd/) Jerusha Jones > [Never mind the odds against you. If you doubled your effort, what would the odds against you do — send for reinforcements?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/never-mind-the-odds-against-you-if-you-doubled-your-effort-what-would/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [I beat the odds, and I beat the odds so many times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-scherzer/i-beat-the-odds-and-i-beat-the-odds-so-many-times/) [Max Scherzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-scherzer/) ## More by Tom Osborne > [I'll bring in outsiders to evaluate state agencies. They can sometimes see what we can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/i-ll-bring-in-outsiders-to-evaluate-state-agencies-they-can-sometimes/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [Is success just about winning? Acclaim? Trophies? Wealth? Our personal happiness or satisfaction? I have been blessed to experience some of these over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/is-success-just-about-winning-acclaim-trophies-wealth-our-personal/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [You can tell by looking at me that I've got more miles behind me than I've got in front of me. When you reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/you-can-tell-by-looking-at-me-that-i-ve-got-more-miles-behind-me-than/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [We are probably hitting more this week than we ever have, just to see, ... We have 40 kids out there, and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/we-are-probably-hitting-more-this-week-than-we-ever-have-just-to-see/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [Orlando... So many courses & great deals, especially in the summer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/orlando-so-many-courses-great-deals-especially-in-the-summer/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [I still miss the players and I miss the game and the strategy. The first couple years were really difficult. Now I realize I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/i-still-miss-the-players-and-i-miss-the-game-and-the-strategy-the/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [Know how to win and how to lose and be able to handle adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/know-how-to-win-and-how-to-lose-and-be-able-to-handle-adversity/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [Everybody's got to do what they've got to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/everybody-s-got-to-do-what-they-ve-got-to-do/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [By the time I get to the locker room, I'm done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/by-the-time-i-get-to-the-locker-room-i-m-done/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/my-hardest-job-is-to-convince-the-people-of-nebraska-that-10-1-is-not/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [I'm not really good at retiring. I tried that one time and Nancy ran me out of the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/i-m-not-really-good-at-retiring-i-tried-that-one-time-and-nancy-ran/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [Work hard, stay focused and surround yourself with good people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/work-hard-stay-focused-and-surround-yourself-with-good-people/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [As a college coach, I felt you could make a difference in a player's life. There was an educational aspect I thought was important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/as-a-college-coach-i-felt-you-could-make-a-difference-in-a-player-s/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [When you coach as long as I did, you can't help but miss those Saturdays - dealing with the players, the game preparation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/when-you-coach-as-long-as-i-did-you-can-t-help-but-miss-those/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [Have a spiritual basis which guides you in life. Have a philosophy of life to live by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/have-a-spiritual-basis-which-guides-you-in-life-have-a-philosophy-of/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) [Explore all 19 Tom Osborne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The odds are always against you no matter what your previous history is. 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