Winning Is A Habit: Vince Lombardi on Winning, Success, and the Pursuit of Excellence [Hardcover]

Ed Gary George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 1997

Vince Lombardi's uncanny ability to motivate and his unstoppable drive to succeed have made him the standard against which all NFL coaches are measured. Winning is a Habit captures the charisma of the legend whose no-gloss attitude in football was also his attitude in life. Winning is a Habit is divided into eleven subject categories - from faith to football, from winning to racism, from family to business to himself - reflecting the diversity of his insights and the power of his words.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Winning

Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing.

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all-the-time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing....

It's a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they're there -- to compete. They know the rules and the objectiveswhen they get in the game. The objective is to win -- fairly, squarely, decently, by the rules -- but to win.

The will to excel and the will to win, they endure. They are more important than any events that occasion them. I don't care what people say about me as long as I win. That's what I get paid for.

There is no room for second place here. There is one place here and that's first place. I've finished second twice in my time here, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There's a second place bowl game, and it's a hinky-dinky football game, held in a hinky-dinky town, played by hinky-dinky football players. That's all second place is: Hinky-Dinky.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (November 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062702157
• ISBN-13: 978-0062702159
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #770,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my life!, May 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Winning Is A Habit: Vince Lombardi on Winning, Success, and the Pursuit of Excellence (Hardcover)

I had heard from my Coach about Vince Lombardi and after reading this book of quotes I became inspired. I realized the things I had to change in my life in order to become a winner. This is an excellent book and a great comfort to me when I am feeling unmotivated.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor reading rip-off of Strive to Excel Lombardi book, March 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Winning Is A Habit: Vince Lombardi on Winning, Success, and the Pursuit of Excellence (Hardcover)

This book is a poor rip-off of Jennifer Briggs' much classier Strive to Excel: The Wit, Will & Wisdom of Vince Lombardi. George is a politician with book editor connections, not a writer--and it shows in his clumbsy writing and diction. Briggs' Strive to Excel is a much better read on Lombardi. And I'd expect it to be. She's an award-winning sportswriter who's written for USA Today, SI, etc. Buy Brigg's book, not George's fluff.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for anyone, not just a sports fan, June 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Winning Is A Habit: Vince Lombardi on Winning, Success, and the Pursuit of Excellence (Hardcover)

Full of laughs and in-depth knowledge of the competitive spirit, this book shows the flaws as well as the greatness of Vince Lombardi, and also in ourselves. One of my favorites: "The quality of a person's life is directly proportional to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." This could be used even in a classroom environment as a point of discussion for lessons on the price of winning, and integrity.