40 Tin Cup Quotes on Golf, Ego, and Modesty (2022)

If you are a fan of golf and, at the same time, in need of some lessons to do better in life, then you’ll benefit from these Tin Cup quotes we’ve prepared for you.

Tin Cup is a feel-good ‘90s movie that tells the story of a golf pro who is past his prime. Played by Kevin Costner, Roy McAvoy tries to take back his glory by defeating his opponent—both in golf and romance.

Roy is confident he could win the battle. But, all the conflict and chaos began when he started showing off his rebellious and arrogant sides. He was overconfident and prideful and failed to recognize that he can’t always be the best.

The movie is packed with fun, entertainment, and relatable scenes. But, Tin Cup also reminds us that while we might be good at one thing, there’s nothing more important than keeping our feet on the ground.

Read through the best Tin Cup quotes below to learn more life lessons you can live by.

Let’s start!

And don’t forget to check out these golf quotes and Happy Gilmore quotes.

Best Tin Cup Quotes

1. “I hit it again because that shot was a defining moment, and when a defining moment comes along, you define the moment—or the moment defines you.” – Roy McAvoy

2. “Greatness courts failure.” – Roy McAvoy

3. “I’m no expert here, but it seems to me that the pursuit of destiny isn’t something you need to get off a $10 per hour job to do.” – Romeo Posar

4. “First thing you must learn is this game ain’t about hitting a ball in a hole. It’s about inner demons, self-doubt, human frailty, and overcoming that crap. What kind of doctor did you say you were?” – Roy McAvoy

5. “This is everything, ain’t it? This is the choice it comes down to; this is our immortality.” – Roy McAvoy

6. “You’re not one of those women who tries to fix men, I hope. I mean, men cannot be fixed, and especially him.” – Doreen

7. “Inner demons and human frailty is my life’s work.” – Dr. Molly Griswold

8. “You can’t ask for advice about the woman you’re trying to hose from the woman you’re trying to hose!” – Romeo Posar

9. “Every finishing position is unique. That’s what the golf swing’s about. It’s about gaining control of your life and—letting go at the same time.” – Roy McAvoy

10. Roy McAvoy: “When was the last time you took a risk?”

Dr. Molly Griswold: “Well, I’m with you, Roy. I’m with you.”

Tin Cup Quotes for Golf Lovers

11. “You may be right, boss, but you know what? Sometimes par is good enough to win.” – Romeo Posar

12. “Sex and golf are the two things you can enjoy even if you’re not good at them.” – Roy McAvoy

13. “Yes, that’s why I love it. If you hit one good shot and that tuning fork rings in your loins and you can’t wait to get back.” – Roy McAvoy

14. “Yeah, to the gods. That he is fallible. That perfection is unobtainable. And now the weight begins shifting back to the left pulled by the powers inside the earth. It’s alive, this swing! A living sculpture and down through contact, always down, striking the ball crisply, with character. A tuning fork goes off in your heart and your balls. Such a pure feeling is the well-struck golf shot. Now the follow through to finish. Always on line. The reverse C of the Golden Bear! The steel workers’ power and brawn of Carl Sandburg’s. Arnold Palmer!” – Roy McAvoy

15. “You don’t need to be thinking immortality—you need to be thinking hit the seven iron!” – Romeo Posar

16. “If I had it to do all over again, I’d still hit that shot.” – Roy McAvoy

17. “That’s because you think of it as transportation, Boone. Think of it as bragging rights. Think of yourself sitting around the bar, crowing to your cronies about the Cadillac you won from me. They’ll forget all about the Winnebago you lost to me.” – Roy McAvoy

18. Roy McAvoy: “Well, I tend to think of the golf swing as a poem.”

Romeo Posar: “Oh, he’s doing that poetry thing again.”

Roy McAvoy: “The critical opening phrase of this poem will always be the grip, which the hands unite to form a single unit by the simple overlap of the little finger. Lowly and slowly the clubhead is led back, pulled into position not by the hands, but by the body, which turns away from the target, shifting weight to the right side without shifting balance. Tempo is everything, perfection unobtainable, as the body coils down at the top of the swing. There’s a slight hesitation. A little nod to the gods.”

Also read: Caddyshack Quotes, Bull Durham Quotes

Tin Cup Quotes to Break Machismo and Arrogance

19. “Thirteen years on the driving range and you still think this game is about your testosterone count.” – David Simms

20. “Why do men always insist on measuring their dicks?” – Dr. Molly Griswold

21. “Roy, we’re talking about you, and what you like to call your inner demons—that human frailty you like to blather about—not some mythopoetic metaphor you come up with in a—feeble and transparent effort to do yourself credit.” – Dr. Molly Griswold

22. “You’re a head case. You always have been. Always will be.” – Romeo Posar

23. Dr. Molly Griswold: “Mr. McAvoy, I can appreciate that you have a fairly laid-back, relaxed lifestyle—but I have hours to keep.”

Roy McAvoy: “All right. A former paramour once ascribed my fluid sense of time to being born under the sign of Pisces. Something about floating through the universe.”

Dr. Molly Griswold: “Oh, you amuse me, Roy, but I’m the only woman in America born after World War II that thinks astrology’s a crock of shit.”

24. “You know what I think? She’s got you by the huevos.” – Romeo Posar

Tin Cup Quotes That Zoom in on One’s Personal Issues

25. “Well, I’m stuck, and I’m buried. I need help, and I need advice. I need counseling, I need a—I need a shrink.” – Roy McAvoy

26. “Does my inner child need a spanking?” – Roy McAvoy

27. “Your job is to teach me patience and humility. Don’t advise me on my love life. Not all my thinking occurs below the belt. I stand for a few things besides my next romantic interlude.” – Roy McAvoy

28. “A lost and desperate soul stands before you.” – Roy McAvoy

29. Roy McAvoy: “You mean you’re going to make me feel lousy?”

Dr. Molly Griswold: “No.”

Roy McAvoy: “I came here to feel better. I mean, what kind of therapy is—.”

Dr. Molly Griswold: “Roy, Roy, Roy, you don’t have any inner demons. What you have is inner crapola, inner debris—garbage—loose wires, a few horseshit in staggering amounts.”

Tin Cup Quotes for Hopeless Romantics

30. “From the moment I first saw you, I knew I was through with bar girls and—strippers and motorcycle chicks, and—when we first started talking I was smitten with you, and I’m smitten with you more every day I think about you, and the fact that you know I’m full of crapola only makes you more attractive to me. Usually, I can bullshit people, but I can’t bullshit you, and in addition, you got, you got great legs, and most women I’m thinking about how to get in their pants from day one, but with you, I’m just, I’m just thinking about how to get into your heart.” – Roy McAvoy

31. “All you have to do is walk up to this, this woman, wherever she is, look her in the eye—look at me, Roy—just look her in the eyes, that’s right, let down your guard, and don’t try to be cool or smooth or whatever; just be honest and take a risk. And you know what, whatever happens, if you act from the heart, you can’t make a mistake.” – Dr. Molly Griswold

32. “Listen to me—you’re with the wrong guy. I’m the right guy. You know how he said my face was screwed up tighter than a drum, well I know that it’s because I’ve been crazy about you. From the moment you came here, when you were wearing all this stupid shit. And the whole damn thing has both inspired me to get here and also caused me to get the shanks, which could humiliate me in front of a billion zillion people in a game I used to know how to play pretty good. Such is life. Dump that phony bastard you’re with and come to the open in my corner, okay?” – Roy McAvoy

33. “We’re as comfortable as two old shoes together.” – Roy McAvoy

34. Roy McAvoy: “Tell me you don’t at least find me a little bit attractive?”

Dr. Molly Griswold: “You have your moments.”

Roy McAvoy: “Well, you tell me which moments are my moments and I’ll try to duplicate them.”

More Tin Cup Quotes That Will Make You Laugh

35. “‘Fuck.’ ‘Shit.’ These are highly technical golf terms and you’re using them on your first lesson. This is promising.” – Roy McAvoy

36. Dr. Molly Griswold: “Is this normal for him?”

Earl: “Well, the words ‘normal’ and ‘him’ don’t often collide in the same sentence.”

37. Roy McAvoy: “There’s only one other acceptable theory about how to hit the ball.”

Dr. Molly Griswold: “Oh, boy, well, I’m afraid to ask. What is it?”

Roy McAvoy: “Grip it and rip it.”

38. Dr. Molly Griswold: “I find him—mildly attractive when he’s obnoxious and arrogant like this.”

Romeo Posar: “Oh, good. That’s his best side.”

39. Romeo Posar: “Am I special?”

Roy McAvoy: “Well, if you can remove the sexual overtones and add a golf theme, then Romeo, I am your Juliet.”

40. “Now that was a defining moment. And the definition was shit.” – Romeo Posar

Did These Tin Cup Quotes Inspire You to Do Better in Golf and Life?

Being an expert can have its advantages. After all, aside from excelling in our fields, it allows us to show the world our capabilities. For some, that is how they define success and who they are.

While nothing’s wrong with being proud of our strengths, we must never forget to stay modest and humble. Praises may let us feel great about ourselves, but these should not make us think we are superior and above others. Instead, we should take them as our inspiration to work on our weaknesses and help those who look up to our strengths.

We all differ in our abilities and passions. However, let’s all remember that arrogance will take us nowhere. It is a universal rule that we must apply in all areas of our lives.

So, let Tin Cup serve as a reminder of this lesson. Take out this list again whenever you need some advice in life or just want to revisit your favorite scenes from the movie!

Were you able to relate to any of the quotes above? Did we miss any of your favorite quotes from Tin Cup? List them below.