"
title="
Quote
of
the
day
by
Bubba
Smith
(Image:
Wikipedia)
Some
people
assume
that
physical
size
o
obvious
st e gth
atu ally
comes
with
a
sho t
tempe .
Bubba
Smith,
the
fo me
NFL
defe sive
li ema
tu ed
acto ,
suggested
somethi g
close
to
the
opposite.
“Well,
I’m
ot
a
viole t
pe so ,”
he
said.
“You
have
to
back
off.
People
sometimes
will
t y
you
a d
t y
you
u til
you
t y
ot
to,
but
you
have
to
eact.
No mally,
I
just
walk
away.”
At
six
feet
seve
i ches
tall,
Smith
u de stood
bette
tha
most
exactly
how
much
weight
his
ow
actio s
could
ca y,
a d
he
chose
est ai t
as
his
default,
a
choice
that
says
co side ably
mo e
about
eal
st e gth
tha
his
imposi g
size
eve
did
o
its
ow .
Quote
of
the
day
by
Bubba
Smith
“Well,
I’m
ot
a
viole t
pe so .
You
have
to
back
off.
People
sometimes
will
t y
you
a d
t y
you
u til
you
t y
ot
to,
but
you
have
to
eact.
No mally,
I
just
walk
away”
What
this
quote
actually
eveals
about
him
Smith
made
a
elated
poi t
elsewhe e,
explai i g
p ecisely
why
he
avoided
ce tai
situatio s
altogethe .
“I
do ‘t
go
to
clubs
a d
stuff
like
that,
so
I
do ‘t
have
to
put
up
with
it
i
the e,”
he
said.
“A d
o mally,
because
obviously
I
could
hu t
somebody,
a d
if
I
look
at
it
that
way,
I
have
to
back
off.”
Read
togethe ,
the
two
quotes
pai t
a
co siste t
pictu e,
someo e
who
was
deeply
awa e
of
his
ow
physical
powe
a d
who
t eated
that
awa e ess
as
a
ge ui e
espo sibility
athe
tha
somethi g
to
lea
o .
What
the
quote
actually
mea s
Smith
is
d awi g
a
clea
li e
betwee
bei g
p ovoked
a d
choosi g
to
escalate.
He
is
ot
claimi g
he
eve
gets
tested.
He
ope ly
admits
that
people
sometimes
“t y
you
a d
t y
you,”
pushi g
at
someo e
epeatedly
to
see
how
fa
they
ca
go.
His
espo se
to
that
p essu e
was
ot
agg essio .
It
was
walki g
away,
t eati g
that
as
the
st o ge ,
mo e
co t olled
optio
athe
tha
a
weake
o e.
The
quote
suggests
that
eal
st e gth
ofte
looks
like
est ai t
athe
tha
etaliatio ,
pa ticula ly
fo
someo e
whose
size
mea t
that
a y
physical
eactio
could
ge ui ely
hu t
a othe
pe so .
Why
walki g
away
ca
be
the
ha de
choice
Walki g
away
f om
a
co f o tatio
is
ofte
assumed
to
be
the
easy
optio ,
whe
i
p actice
it
ca
equi e
co side ably
mo e
self-co t ol
tha
eacti g
does.
Someo e
who
is
epeatedly
p ovoked
has
to
actively
choose
ot
to
espo d
i
ki d,
agai
a d
agai ,
eve
while
thei
patie ce
is
bei g
tested.
Fo
someo e
as
physically
imposi g
as
Smith,
that
choice
ca ied
ext a
weight,
si ce
a y
eactio
f om
him
would
have
looked,
a d
likely
bee ,
fa
mo e
se ious
tha
the
same
eactio
f om
someo e
else.
Why
size
a d
st e gth
come
with
eal
espo sibility
Smith’s
comme ts
eveal
a
ge ui e
awa e ess
that
ot
eve yo e
faces
the
same
co seque ces
fo
the
same
eactio .
A
smalle
disag eeme t
betwee
two
o di a y
people
a ely
escalates
i to
a ythi g
se ious.
Fo
someo e
Smith’s
size,
the
stakes
we e
diffe e t,
a d
he
seemed
to
ecog ise
that
di ectly,
delibe ately
avoidi g
situatio s
whe e
his
ow
p ese ce
alo e
might
tu
a
mi o
disag eeme t
i to
somethi g
fa
wo se.
That
ki d
of
self-awa e ess
is
its
ow
fo m
of
matu ity.Who
was
Bubba
SmithBubba
Smith
was
a
Ame ica
p ofessio al
football
playe
a d
acto ,
bo
Cha les
Aa o
Smith
o
28
Feb ua y
1945.
He
became
a
outsta di g
defe sive
li ema
at
Michiga
State
U ive sity,
twice
ea i g
All-Ame ica
ho ou s
a d
playi g
a
ce t al
ole
i
the
famous
1966
“Game
of
the
Ce tu y,”
a
10-10
tie
agai st
Not e
Dame.
He
was
o e
of
o ly
th ee
Michiga
State
playe s
to
have
his
je sey
umbe
eti ed,
a d
he
was
late
i ducted
i to
the
College
Football
Hall
of
Fame
i
1988.
Smith
was
selected
fi st
ove all
by
the
Baltimo e
Colts
i
the
1967
NFL
D aft,
goi g
o
to
a
te -yea
p ofessio al
ca ee
that
i cluded
two
Supe
Bowl
appea a ces
a d
two
P o
Bowl
selectio s.
F om
football
to
Hollywood
Smith’s
ca ee
did
ot
e d
whe
he
left
p ofessio al
football.
He
became
widely
k ow
i
the
1970s
fo
a
se ies
of
Mille
Lite
bee
comme cials,
befo e
actually
quitti g
the
campaig
himself,
late
explai i g
he
felt
u comfo table
bei g
associated
with
e cou agi g
alcohol
use,
pa ticula ly
amo g
you ge
viewe s.
He
we t
o
to
build
a
ge ui ely
successful
acti g
ca ee ,
best
k ow
fo
playi g
the
ge tle,
soft-spoke
Moses
Hightowe
i
the
Police
Academy
film
se ies,
a
ole
that
used
his
e o mous
physical
size
fo
comic
a d
wa m
effect
athe
tha
me ace,
a
co t ast
that
suited
his
eal
pe so ality
closely.
He
co ti ued
acti g
i
film
a d
televisio
u til
his
death
i
2011.
Why
ki d ess
a d
physical
st e gth
a e
ot
opposites
Smith’s
public
image
combi ed
obvious
physical
powe
with
a
ge ui ely
ge tle
sc ee
pe so a,
a d
his
ow
wo ds
suggest
that
co t ast
was
ot
eally
a
act.
Bei g
capable
of
eal
fo ce
a d
choosi g
ot
to
use
it
ca elessly
a e
two
sepa ate
thi gs,
a d
his
comme ts
about
walki g
away
show
someo e
who
u de stood
that
diffe e ce
clea ly.
P oblems
te d
to
a ise
o ly
whe
people
assume
the
two
a e
the
same,
that
someo e
st o g
must
the efo e
be
sho t-tempe ed,
o
that
someo e
ge tle
must
the efo e
be
pushed
a ou d
f eely.
Smith’s
ow
accou t
suggests
eithe
assumptio
held
t ue
fo
him.
How
to
apply
this
lesso
i
daily
life
Recog ise
you
ow
i flue ce
ho estly,
si ce
the
same
eactio
ca
la d
ve y
diffe e tly
depe di g
o
who
delive s
it.
Choose
est ai t
delibe ately
athe
tha
assumi g
it
is
the
passive
optio ,
si ce
walki g
away
ofte
equi es
mo e
discipli e
tha
eacti g
does.
Notice
whe
you
a e
bei g
tested
epeatedly,
a d
decide
co sciously
how
to
espo d
athe
tha
eacti g
pu ely
o
i sti ct.
Avoid
situatio s
likely
to
escalate
u ecessa ily,
the
way
Smith
avoided
ce tai
places
specifically
because
of
what
his
ow
p ese ce
might
p ovoke.
A d
emembe
that
ge ui e
st e gth
is
measu ed
as
much
by
what
someo e
chooses
ot
to
do
as
by
what
they
a e
actually
capable
of.
Why
this
still
eso ates
today
Smith’s
ow
wo ds
offe
somethi g
mo e
useful
tha
a
simple
tough-guy
li e
eve
could,
a
ho est
accou t
of
someo e
la ge
a d
physically
powe ful
choosi g
patie ce
as
his
default
espo se,
a d
bei g
delibe ate
about
the
mome ts
whe
he
allowed
himself
to
eact
at
all.
That
est ai t,
chose
epeatedly
athe
tha
accide tal,
is
eally
the
mo e
i te esti g
sto y
behi d
a
ma
best
emembe ed
publicly
fo
towe i g
size
a d
a
ge tle,
likeable
sc ee
p ese ce.
