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Contending Quotes

Sharp lines on rivalry, conflict, and the will to compete

Contending captures the tension of opposing forces, whether it plays out inside a troubled mind or on a playoff-bound team. These quotes explore what it means to strive against real stakes, echoing themes found in our challenges quotes collection.

Without needing to be theoretically instructed, consciousness quickly realizes that it is the site of variously contending discourses.

Quotes by Seamus Heaney

If, amid the multitude of contending counsel, you have hesitated and doubted; if, when a great measure suggested itself, you have shrunk from the vast responsibility, afraid to go forward lest you should go wrong, what wonder?

Quotes by Robert Dale Owen

Do I want to play for a contending team? Yeah. Do I want to go to the playoffs? Yeah. Do I want to win a ring? Of course I do.

Quotes by Manny Machado

Many thousands of youth have been deprived of the benefit of education thereby, their morals ruined, and talents irretrievably lost to society, for want of cultivation: while two parties have been idly contending who should bestow it.

Quotes by Joseph Lancaster

Air Quotes

Macbeth is contending with the realities of this world, Hamlet with those of the next.

Quotes by Jones Very

Once the command of the air is obtained by one of the contending armies, the war becomes a conflict between a seeing host and one that is blind.

Quotes by H. G. Wells

To the extent that I come from a deeply religious tradition and have been contending with those beginnings all of my life - that constitutes the subject of much of my early fiction.

Quotes by Chaim Potok

Only by contending with challenges that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment you can grow more surely toward the stars.

Quotes by Brian Tracy

When contrarian voices are elevated to publications once viewed as places where contending ideas shared space, organized online backlash is now inevitable.

Quotes by Ben Domenech

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 'contending' mean in these quotes?
In this collection, contending refers to actively struggling or competing against opposing forces, whether that's a rival team, an inner conflict, or competing ideas within a discussion.
Are these quotes only about sports?
No. While some lines reference competing teams and playoff ambitions, others describe literary characters wrestling with reality or the clash of ideas in academic thought.
Can contending quotes apply to personal struggles?
Yes. Many of these quotes work equally well for describing an internal battle, such as wrestling with doubt or ambition, not just external competition.
Who might enjoy this quotes collection?
Anyone facing a competitive situation, working through inner conflict, or looking for reflective lines on struggle and ambition will find something relatable here.
Where can I find quotes on related themes like facing obstacles?
If contending resonates with you, our challenges quotes page offers more lines about pushing through difficulty and obstacles.

From dramatic literary conflict to a professional dreaming of a title run, contending shows up wherever ambition meets resistance, in art, in society, and in sport.