“A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play.”
Source: Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility
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James P. Carse 3
American academicRelated quotes

As quoted in "Clemente Says Hitting Does Not Come Easy"
Baseball-related, <big><big>1960s</big></big>, <big>1968</big>

“It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.”

“I play to win, whether during practice or a real game.”

“Never stay to think about how to win the game, start playing.”
Original: (it) Non restare mai a pensare a come vincere la partita, inizia a giocare.
Source: prevale.net

Josh Billings on Ice, and Other Things https://archive.org/details/joshbillingsoni00billgoog (1868), Chapter XXIV: "Perkussion Caps", p. 89; republished in The Complete Works of Josh Billings http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36556 (1876), Chapter 141: "Ods and Ens", p. 248. Often paraphrased as "Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well."

The Lords and the New Creatures: Poems (1969), The Lords: Notes on Vision
Runs and Catches: an autobiography (1980), ISBN: 9780571115655.