Motivation Quote by Julius Erving

Erving isn’t dressing up an ego trip as philosophy; he’s naming a basic power reflex that sports makes impossible to ignore. “If you’ve experienced having control” reads like the voice of a veteran who’s been the franchise, not just on the roster. Once you’ve been the one calling for the ball, shaping the locker room, or steering your own career choices, the idea of being “moved” down the hierarchy isn’t a neutral personnel decision - it’s a loss of agency.

The phrasing matters. “Moved” suggests something done to you, not a voluntary adjustment. That passive shove captures how demotions often feel in pro sports: packaged as strategy, experienced as erasure. And “subordinate position” is deliberately formal, almost corporate. Erving is talking about basketball, but he’s also talking about the workplace reality athletes live inside: contracts, front offices, coaches, brand obligations. Control is never just about touches and minutes; it’s about voice.

Then he lands on “if you have your druthers,” a folksy tag that softens the steel point without weakening it. It signals pragmatism: he knows people don’t always get to choose, but he’s insisting that desire still counts. The subtext is a warning to organizations and to younger players: once someone has been empowered, you can’t expect them to accept less without friction. Status isn’t only earned; it’s felt in the body, and losing it rarely looks graceful, even when it’s rational.