Time & Perspective Quote by Sergei Bubka

Bubka’s line lands with the blunt clarity of someone who has watched talent get romanticized into uselessness. “You need to work very hard” is the polite version of what elite sport actually demands: a lifestyle built around repetition so relentless it starts to look less like inspiration and more like engineered obsession. Then he drops the real number - six to seven hours daily - and the fantasy collapses. That specificity is the point. It’s not a motivational poster; it’s a ledger.

The subtext is partly defensive. Bubka, a pole vaulting icon who turned world records into a near-seasonal routine, is quietly reclaiming authorship of his success from mythmakers. People want a genius story, a “natural” story, a story where greatness is a personality trait. He offers a schedule instead. The hours function like a gate: if you’re not willing to pay this entry fee, stop asking for backstage access to excellence.

There’s also a cultural context baked in. Bubka’s career was forged in a Soviet and post-Soviet sports ecosystem where training was systematic, often brutal, and publicly framed as duty as much as ambition. The quote carries that ethic: discipline as infrastructure, not mood. At the same time, it reads like a warning to a modern audience raised on highlight reels and shortcuts. The work isn’t hidden; it’s just boring, long, and non-negotiable.