06 February 06 - 18:05Two of the best quotes ever

I'm cross-posting this to my personal blog as well as to The Racing Blog because I think these quotes are so great they deserve a bigger audience even though they are both from the world of motor-sport.

I mentioned the Ask Nigel collumn on Autosport.com before where he answers questions submitted by readers. In one question he's asked if it is "fair" that Valentino Rossi should be able to jump straight into Formula 1 with a top team when other drivers have built their whole careers on getting that same seat. It's not the answer to that question that got my attention though, it's the quote from Frank Williams..

Frank Williams said, years ago, after the death (from cancer) of 28-year-old Gunnar Nilsson, "Don't make the mistake of thinking life should be fair - life is not fair, and the sooner you accept that that's the case, the easier it will be for you."

What I like about that quote is that he doesn't just say "life isn't fair, deal with it" like a lot of people do, he says "don't make the mistake of thinking life should be fair". He's telling you accept the unfairness for your own benefit. Lets not forget that aside from his experience with Gunnar Nilsson, Williams himself was left paralysed from a car accident in 1986 and has gone on running his Formula 1 team with great success from a wheelchair. He is truely an inspiration, not only in what he's achieved, but in the outlook on life that's let his achieve it.

The other quote is from Nigel Roebuck's 'Fifth Column' in Autosport magazine. I don't know whether he's quoting someone else or whether he came up with this himself, but it's a good one. Talking about Ron Dennis signing Fernando Alonso to drive for his McLaren team in 2007 - a whole year ahead of his becoming available, he said "Long ago Ron Dennis realised that the things that come to those who wait are the things left by those who got there first."

I don't take that to mean you should go out and grab whatever you can, hoarde it and stuff everyone else. What I think it means is when you have an opportunity to do something great, don't spent too much time worrying about whether it's the right thing or whether it's a classy thing to do. Just do it!

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