You've been competing against the past, and that's a contest no one can win because the past has all the advantages. We've forgotten all its fiddling little drawbacks: the lice, the skin infections, the disgusting personal habits and the rest of it. John Brunner
When you reach that elite level, 90 percent is mental and 10 percent is physical. You are competing against yourself. Not against the other athlete. Dick Fosbury
(.. as a practicing artist) You're competing against who came before and came after. You're just another stone in the wall, and if you make a contribution you're lucky. Richard Serra
Of all the sports I've seen, I think tennis is the most competitive sport in the world. Because we are playing week after week, 36 weeks a year competing against the same players over and over again. Sania Mirza
If you want to minimize the possibility of unexpected breakthroughs, tell people they will receive no resources at all unless they spend the bulk of their time competing against each other to convince you they know in advance what they are going to discover. David Graeber
Religious beliefs evolved by group-selection, tribe competing against tribe, and the illogic of religions is not a weakness but their essential strength. E. O. Wilson