Relative Achievement Quotes

Yes, success is everything. Failure is more common. Most achieve a sort of middling thing, but fortunately one's situation is always blurred, you never know absolutely quite where you are.

Would Bill Gates or Steve Jobs have been considered above average 500 years ago? Who is to decide what is best?

Success is all a matter of perspective. It depends on where you start from, and where you want to end up.

I only went to the third grade because my father only went to the fourth and I didn't want to pass him.

Being first doesn’t mean anything unless there is a second.

Others can measure their visions by what we see.

America may be the best country in the world, but that's kind of like being the valedictorian of summer school.

People can fly. Some people fly higher than others, that's all.

Success to me is anybody who does something better than somebody else.

Success in football is relative. If you take a job at a school that finished with a 1-9 record the year before, you're considered a good coach if you finish 5-5 in your first season. But what happens if you start with 8-2 or 9-1?

Maybe if I was British, a semi-final would be incredible. I'd be on the front page of the paper.

Grades are almost completely relative, in effect ranking students relative to others in their class. Thus extra achievement by one student not only raises his position, but in effect lowers the position of others.

Obama is like the kid brother whose only standard for judging his own achievements is the records his big brother set.

Getting the nomination is like gravy. Winning would be like whatever is better than gravy.

Throughout my academic career, I'd given some pretty good talks. But being considered the best speaker in the computer science department is like being known as the tallest of the Seven Dwarfs.

Sometimes you have success and not so much success versus certain people.

I think we all achieve a little. You can say, 'That's relative.' But when you think of world events, it really is very small.

I'm only as successful as the guy that lives down the street from me.