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Success Quote by Zac Efron

"I'm very competitive by nature. And I like to be the underdog - It's the best way to win. To come from behind and win is a great feeling!"

About this Quote

Competitive people aren’t supposed to crave the underdog role, but Zac Efron understands the cheat code: the easiest way to stay hungry is to keep telling yourself you’re not supposed to win. The line reads like a sports-movie pep talk, yet it’s also a tidy bit of image management from an actor whose early fame came pre-packaged with “heartthrob” assumptions. Claiming “underdog” is a way of refusing the spoiled-winner narrative that celebrity invites.

The subtext is psychological and strategic. If you’re the favorite, you’re defending. Every outcome is either expected or a disappointment. If you’re the underdog, the emotional math changes: risk feels noble, effort looks heroic, and success becomes proof of character rather than proof of privilege. “It’s the best way to win” isn’t literal; it’s a statement about motivation and optics. Underdog status offers permission to grind, to reinvent, to fail publicly without it sticking as failure.

Context matters, too. Efron’s career has been a long negotiation with a brand that arrived early and loud. Moving from teen musical stardom to darker roles, comedy, and physical transformations requires a narrative of struggle, not entitlement. “Come from behind and win” reframes career pivots as comebacks, even when the person “behind” is still rich and famous. That tension is the modern celebrity trick: translate advantage into adversity, then turn audience skepticism into fuel. It works because we’re conditioned to root for motion, not position.

Quote Details

TopicNever Give Up
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Efron, Zac. (2026, January 15). I'm very competitive by nature. And I like to be the underdog - It's the best way to win. To come from behind and win is a great feeling! FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-very-competitive-by-nature-and-i-like-to-be-145573/

Chicago Style
Efron, Zac. "I'm very competitive by nature. And I like to be the underdog - It's the best way to win. To come from behind and win is a great feeling!" FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-very-competitive-by-nature-and-i-like-to-be-145573/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'm very competitive by nature. And I like to be the underdog - It's the best way to win. To come from behind and win is a great feeling!" FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-very-competitive-by-nature-and-i-like-to-be-145573/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

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About the Author

Zac Efron

Zac Efron (born October 18, 1987) is a Actor from USA.

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