A passion for horses, players, and gladiators seems to be the epidemic folly of the times. The child receives it in his mother’s womb; he brings it with him into the world, and in a mind so possessed, what room for science, or any generous purpose?

Recreations should be as sauces to your meat, to sharpen your appetite unto the duties of your calling, and not to glut yourselves with them.

Courage and grace is a formidable mixture. The only place to see it is in the bullring.

If I played in New York, they’d name a candy bar after me.

These useless men ought to be cut up and served at a banquet. I really believe that athletes have less intelligence than swine.

If I lose at play, I blaspheme, and if my fellow loses, he blasphemes. So that God is always sure to be the loser.

Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules, and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence; in other words it is war minus the shooting.

No human being is innocent, but there is a class of innocent human actions called games.

I never yet could make out why men are so fond of hunting; they often hurt themselves, often spoil good horses, and tear up the fields—and all for a hare or a fox or a stag that they could get more easily some other way.

Sport is the bloom and glow of a perfect health.

We cannot say what the woman might be physically, if the girl were not allowed all the freedom of the boy in romping, climbing, swimming, playing whoop and ball.

The fascination of shooting as a sport depends almost wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of a gun.

The gods play games with men as balls.