Skip to main content

Motivation Quote by Jurgen Klinsmann

"You have to work more than your adversary"

About this Quote

"You have to work more than your adversary" is the kind of locker-room sentence that sounds obvious until you hear who’s saying it. Jurgen Klinsmann isn’t selling mystical talent or destiny; he’s selling a plan. The line’s bluntness is the point: it strips competition down to a controllable variable and dares you to treat effort like a budget you can outspend.

The intent is motivational, but not sentimental. Klinsmann frames sport as an arms race of preparation: if the other side is training hard, you don’t match it, you exceed it. That comparative word - "more" - is the engine. It implies that effort is relative, not absolute. “Work hard” is self-help; “work more than your adversary” is strategy. It creates an external reference point that keeps complacency from masquerading as progress.

The subtext also carries a specific European football worldview: discipline, repetition, and professionalism as the real separators once everyone at the top level has elite skill. It’s meritocratic, but with a hard edge: if you lose, the first suspect is your labor. That can be empowering (control what you can control) and brutal (it quietly suggests fatigue, resources, and privilege are just excuses).

Context matters. Klinsmann’s career and later coaching persona were built around fitness culture, marginal gains, and intensity - especially in environments (like U.S. soccer) where he often argued the ceiling was cultural as much as technical. The quote isn’t poetry; it’s a directive. It works because it turns ambition into a measurable commitment, then makes you compete before the match even starts.

Quote Details

TopicWork Ethic
SourceHelp us find the source
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Klinsmann, Jurgen. (2026, January 17). You have to work more than your adversary. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-have-to-work-more-than-your-adversary-70420/

Chicago Style
Klinsmann, Jurgen. "You have to work more than your adversary." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-have-to-work-more-than-your-adversary-70420/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"You have to work more than your adversary." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-have-to-work-more-than-your-adversary-70420/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Jurgen Add to List
Outwork Your Adversary - Jurgen Klinsmann
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

Germany Flag

Jurgen Klinsmann (born July 30, 1964) is a Athlete from Germany.

18 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

John C. Calhoun, Statesman
Samuel Goldwyn, Producer
Samuel Goldwyn