"A good balance of winning and losing is important. If you just win all the time, you won't get anything out of it; having some tough losses can be really important"
About this Quote
Winning feels great, but a life of unbroken victories breeds complacency. Andrew Shue speaks from a blend of locker room and boardroom experience: a Dartmouth and professional soccer player who became a television star and then a founder of mission-driven companies. That background gives weight to the idea that progress depends on friction. When everything goes your way, feedback gets muffled. You repeat what worked and stop noticing what is fragile. You get results, but not insight.
Tough losses puncture that comfort. They expose weaknesses you could ignore while cruising. They demand a response: relearning fundamentals, sharpening focus, innovating tactics, and strengthening bonds with teammates. The sting of defeat can be a powerful teacher because it carries urgency and clarity. The film session after a loss is often more honest than the celebration after a win.
There is also a psychological rhythm at work. Motivation tends to thrive on challenge with a chance of success, not on certainty. If you always win, the stakes feel trivial. If you always lose, despair sets in. A balance keeps you in that meaningful middle, where effort matters and improvement is visible. That balance cultivates resilience, humility, and a realistic sense of your edge.
Shue is not romanticizing failure; he is arguing for its strategic value. The goal remains to win, but to win better: with awareness, adaptability, and staying power. In sports, business, and creative work, the teams and individuals who last are those who metabolize losses instead of denying them, who convert bad breaks into better habits. The important thing is what you do after the defeat: ask hard questions, study what the opponent exploited, adjust, and return with a sharpened game. Success that has survived a few defeats is sturdier, and more deeply earned, than success that never had to fight for itself.
Tough losses puncture that comfort. They expose weaknesses you could ignore while cruising. They demand a response: relearning fundamentals, sharpening focus, innovating tactics, and strengthening bonds with teammates. The sting of defeat can be a powerful teacher because it carries urgency and clarity. The film session after a loss is often more honest than the celebration after a win.
There is also a psychological rhythm at work. Motivation tends to thrive on challenge with a chance of success, not on certainty. If you always win, the stakes feel trivial. If you always lose, despair sets in. A balance keeps you in that meaningful middle, where effort matters and improvement is visible. That balance cultivates resilience, humility, and a realistic sense of your edge.
Shue is not romanticizing failure; he is arguing for its strategic value. The goal remains to win, but to win better: with awareness, adaptability, and staying power. In sports, business, and creative work, the teams and individuals who last are those who metabolize losses instead of denying them, who convert bad breaks into better habits. The important thing is what you do after the defeat: ask hard questions, study what the opponent exploited, adjust, and return with a sharpened game. Success that has survived a few defeats is sturdier, and more deeply earned, than success that never had to fight for itself.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning from Mistakes |
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