September 17, 2009

When You Can't Win


"Show me a good loser and I'll show you an idiot."

Leo Durocher
Major League Baseball Player/Manager


Does anyone really believe this?

And I don't just mean in business since that is the context in which all of these quotes are to be judged.

I mean, period.

3 comments :

  1. Durocher was a jock. What do you expect?

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  2. Well, maybe not an idiot...
    Should we accept defeat or keep trying? I look at it as a continual fight to the finish; whenever that is (death maybe?). Remember, "it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings."

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  3. Thinking about it more, my reaction to the quote has to do with how "winning" is defined, particularly as it relates to business.

    Is this the stereotypical greedy investment banker for whom "winning" is getting all they can just for their own personal benefit? In those cases, "losing" must mean that didn't happen and I have no sympathy for anyone who is that person.

    But what do you think about individuals with a social conscious who defined "winning" as making as much money as possible for their favorite charity?

    By definition either individual will, in theory, do all they can to make as much as they can with the difference being what they do with it, and I assume, Durocher would conclude either is an idiot if they fail.

    Reality is, there are very few individuals who are either of these extremes. Most of us are somewhere in the middle and must assess how much we are willing to do to make however much money we want, regardless of what we will do with it.

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