"If I don't get you now, I'll get you later"
About this Quote
The intent is practical: keep pressure on an opponent even when the moment doesn’t break your way. It’s a verbal stiff-arm aimed at the other guy’s nervous system. If you escaped this snap, you still have to line up again. The subtext is psychological warfare: Motley is telling you he’s patient, he’s watching, and he’s not emotionally derailed by short-term failure. In football terms, it’s the logic of the run game and the trench fight - keep leaning until something cracks. In human terms, it’s resilience without sentimentality.
Context sharpens it further. Motley played while navigating segregation-era America, where “later” wasn’t just the next series; it was the long game of proving you belonged in a league and a country that often acted like you didn’t. The quote carries that double register: on the surface, a competitor’s vow; underneath, the steady, almost defiant belief that persistence eventually becomes its own form of justice.
Quote Details
| Topic | Never Give Up |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Motley, Marion. (2026, January 16). If I don't get you now, I'll get you later. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-i-dont-get-you-now-ill-get-you-later-127684/
Chicago Style
Motley, Marion. "If I don't get you now, I'll get you later." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-i-dont-get-you-now-ill-get-you-later-127684/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If I don't get you now, I'll get you later." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-i-dont-get-you-now-ill-get-you-later-127684/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.









