The Ten Greatest Vince Lombardi Quotes

Warning to brick walls everywhere: The person who reads the following quotes will likely ending up running straight through you.

Sometime roughly around 10 o'clock tomorrow night we will see an NFL team once again proudly hoisting a trophy that is arguably the most recognizable among all professional sports - The Vince Lombardi Trophy. It's been that way since the trophy was named in Lombardi's honor in 1970 after the legendary coach led the Green Bay Packers to victory in the first two Super Bowls.

There has been no debate since it was decided to name the trophy after Lombardi. There was simply no one else who represented what it meant to achieve victory any better. Through the countless tales told from many of his former players over the decades it's clear that Lombardi's choice of words and the way in which he delivered them were masterful. Packers quarterback Bart Starr, who won two Super Bowls playing for Lombardi's Packers, told a story to NFL Films of Lombardi's first team meeting in 1959.

"When he walked into the meeting and he looked us right in the eye he said, 'Gentlemen we are going to relentlessly chase perfection knowing full well we won't catch it because nothing is perfect but we're going to relentlessly, and that's how he blurted it, chase it because in the process we will catch excellence. I'm not remotely interested in just being good," said Starr. "Holy mackerel. Man I was just up like this, I didn't need a seat to sit on. I was just ready to go!"

Several websites list Lombardi's most inspirational quotes, some even list as many as 115. Here are what I believe are Lombardi's ten greatest:

THE TEN GREATEST VINCE LOMBARDI QUOTES

1. "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."

2. "Perfection is not attainable but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

3. "Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It's something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.”

4. "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious."

5. "If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives."

6. "A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done."

7. "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will."

8. "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender."

9. "If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you'll be fired with enthusiasm.”

10. "The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary."

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