The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The important thing is not to have won, but to have fought. Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin (born Charles Pierre Fredy de Coubertin), Baron de Coubertin, born on January 1, 1863 in Paris and died on September 2, 1937 in Geneva, Switzerland, was a French historian and pedagogue strongly influenced by Anglo-Saxon culture who particularly militated for the introduction of sports in French schools.
He was unjustly attributed the following sentence “The most important thing is to participate”, the meaning of which corrupts Pierre de Coubertin’s idea of sport and effort in general.
What must be understood is that it is more important to give the best of oneself than to win. Indeed, if we seek victory at all costs, we are ready to sacrifice our integrity to achieve our goals. Victory is not always the translation of our nobility. There is more greatness to be lost by having fought with determination and righteousness than by winning by unworthy means. The effort is more important than the result. Sport teaches this idea because physical activity generates the endorphin secretion that comes from pleasure. In addition, the feeling of having fought hard brings more satisfaction than simply winning. Of course, a hard fight leading to victory is all the more pleasurable.
Life is a struggle between self and self. Defeating oneself is already a triumph. Comparing oneself to others is not the best way to move forward in life because we do not start from the same place, we do not have the same opportunities and therefore the result of a confrontation with others is not an absolute truth of our inner superiority.
Real progress occurs when we compare ourselves every day with who we were yesterday. Inner improvement is only possible when we give the best of ourselves at every moment. The true victory worth noticing is the victory against oneself, made possible by the fiery and determined struggle.
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