Vince Lombardi: Quotes from a Legend
Vince Lombardi: Quotes from a Legend
My favorite Lombardi quotes
**This post uses an affiliate link; I earn commission at no cost to you.
Over the course of human history, many men have carried the birth name “Vincent.” A few of those men have placed themselves on a higher pedestal. You have interesting yet peculiar Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh; Mötley Crüe lead singer, Vince Neil; professional basketball icon, Vince Carter; actor and comedian, Vince Vaughn; legendary singer and songwriter, Vince Gill; and the always entertaining Alice Cooper (he’s technically a Vincent, so that counts right?!). There is one man in particular that has separated himself from all the other Vincents (at least in my eyes).
That one man is the late great Vincent Lombardi. For those of you who are not football fans, Vince Lombardi is considered by many to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, sports coaches in American history. In his nine years as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, Lombardi won five NFL championships (back when there were two football leagues; prior to what we all know as the Super Bowl) and the first two Super Bowls. Following his unfortunate death in 1970, the NFL named the Super Bowl trophy in honor of Lombardi. Now teams compete for the Lombardi Trophy.
During the 2014 NFL season, I took a 16-hour road trip to visit the one and only Lambeau Field, also known to football fans as the Frozen Tundra. This is where Coach Lombardi orchestrated so many successful seasons. To be on the same hallowed grounds that Lombardi once stood was a surreal and truly indescribable experience.
While the number of wins and championships are impressive, that doesn’t tell the whole story of what made him such a great and successful coach. Listed below are some of my favorite quotes from the man and coach, Vince Lombardi.
"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."
This quote was actually my high school yearbook quote. The message behind Lombardi’s words here speaks volumes. There is no doubt that life will eventually knock you down. Only you can choose to stay down for the count and be defeated by whatever life throws at you or you can stand back up and fight back.
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
Isn’t this the absolute truth! Need I say much more? If you want to be successful at anything you do in life, work comes first.
“Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of the goal.”
When you are so focused and determined to accomplish your goals, you develop tunnel vision. You see nothing except the results at the end of that proverbial tunnel. The moment you take your eyes off that goal you have, you begin to notice those obstacles. Not that those obstacles weren’t present before, you just didn’t see any obstacles because you were so hell-bent on accomplishing your goals.
“Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It’s a state of mind – you could call it character in action.”
Mental toughness is a necessity in sports. You don’t want your opponent knowing that you’re injured or that you’re frustrated. How do you avoid showing those emotions? That’s where the mental toughness comes into play.
“A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive, and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.
It all starts from within. Most of the time the thing that’s holding you back is you! Nobody else can achieve your goals. Believe in yourself. Put your best foot forward and stand tall.
If you are interested to learn more about Vince Lombardi, I encourage you to read David Maraniss’s When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi (you can get here). Maraniss does an incredible job of providing readers with a detailed background of Lombardi’s life and how he developed his work ethic, values, and love for coaching football.
Thank you for checking out Future Me Motivation and for your support!There will be an important update to come in the next few days. Stay tuned!
Sean great column! have always been a fan of Vince Lombardi and his quotes. I used to read constantly about the great coaches aka teachers, or mentors of the time. Ever hear of Doc Counsilman? John Wooden and Joe Walton as coaches or students of their game they were master's at breaking it down and making it easy.One thing they all had in common was always the emphasis on the basics. Over and over the importance of mastering the basics and fundamentals will ultimately lead to success. They also had alot of great quotes as well. Steve Spurrier, Bobby Bowden, and Lou Holtz and Bobby Knight were always fun. check out famous quotes from any of them and you will laugh and be enlightened.
I have been a Packers fan since 1959! My grandparents raised me and I heard them praise Lombardi, it carried over into my young years of motherhood, raising my girls, watching the Packers and was excited then as I was as a child. Joined Twitter in 2019; widowed and again kept watching my Packers and do to this day! Hard, very hard to not idolize.