Growing up my parents used to say “It’s not about winning or losing, it’s how you play the game”. Seems like a good value to adopt.  Probably not for a professional athlete or olympic contender, but for an average person this is probably a good attitude (my own opinion anyway.

The Oscar Wilde Twist

I was reminded today, of a delightful twist on this common wisdom from nineteenth century playwright, novelist and poet, Oscar Wilde.

“It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you place the blame” – Oscar Wilde.

Tongue firmly in cheek

Yikes, stating the obvious.  Humour often has a foundation in truth and this statement truly resonates with me as a more accurate description of natural human behaviour.

Trying  hard and playing fair is a noble sentiment, after-all,however,  as I have noted before, for most folks, it is all about the royal me. What, me at fault, unlikely.

Living Together

Avoiding the laying of blame is probably a more effective way to collaberate with others.  Blame is a kind of attack.  It’s not unusual to get a response in kind.

And so the vicious circle begins – ” it’s your fault, is not” and so on.  A little witticism like this one from Oscar Wilde can often help us identify odd behaviours that we should avoid but actually sometimes just practice naturally.