"When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner"
About this Quote
The intent feels personal but also strategic. As an actor who’s been both celebrated and dragged in public cycles of hype, Berry is pointing to a survival skill for fame: emotional regulation. “Good loser” isn’t self-help fluff here; it’s a discipline against entitlement. If you can’t metabolize disappointment without lashing out, blaming the system, or rewriting the rules, then your “good winner” moment is just luck dressed up as virtue.
The subtext is about power and identity. Winning can make people think they deserve the world’s applause; losing can make them think the world is conspiring against them. Berry’s mother’s logic collapses that false moral math. It implies that both outcomes are temporary, and that your response to them is what actually belongs to you.
Culturally, this lands in an era that rewards public dominance and punishes vulnerability, especially for women in entertainment who are expected to be both confident and endlessly “nice.” Berry frames grace not as politeness, but as proof you’re bigger than the scoreboard - which is why the advice still cuts through.
Quote Details
| Topic | Humility |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Berry, Halle. (2026, January 16). When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-i-was-a-kid-my-mother-told-me-that-if-you-91179/
Chicago Style
Berry, Halle. "When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-i-was-a-kid-my-mother-told-me-that-if-you-91179/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-i-was-a-kid-my-mother-told-me-that-if-you-91179/. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
