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Winners
and Losers
by SIDNEY HARRIS
A winner says,
"Let’s find out;" a loser says, "Nobody knows."
When a winner makes a
mistake he says, "I was wrong;" when a loser makes a mistake he says, "It
wasn’t my fault."
A winner knows how and when
to say "Yes" and "No;" a loser says, "Yes, but" and "Perhaps not" at the
wrong times for the wrong reasons.
A winner isn’t nearly
afraid of losing as a loser is secretly afraid of winning.
A winner works harder than
a loser and has more time; a loser is always "too busy" to do what is
necessary. A winner makes commitments; a loser makes promises. A winner
shows he’s sorry by making up for it; a loser says, "I’m sorry" but does the
same thing the next time. A winner says, "I’m good but not as good as I
ought to be;" but a loser says, "I’m not as bad as a lot of other people."
A winner listens; a loser
just waits until it’s his turn to talk. A winner would rather be admired
than liked, although he would prefer both; a loser would rather be liked
than admired and is even willing to pay the price of mild contempt for it.
A winner respects those who
are superior to him and tries to learn something from them; a loser resents
those who are superior to him and tries to find chinks in their armor.
A winner feels strong
enough to be gentle; a loser is never gentle—he is either weak or pettily
tyrannous by turns.
A winner explains; a loser
explains away.
A winner says, "There ought
to be a better way to do it;" a loser says, "That’s the way it’s always been
done here."
A winner paces himself; a
loser has only two speeds—hysterical and lethargic.
Copyright © Creative
Performance Institute, PO Box 1485, San Rafael, CA 94902
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