"I am blessed or cursed, I am not sure which, with dissatisfaction."
SAM Mitchell was sitting in the audience at an international sports leadership conference in London in the months after Hawthorn' 2014 premiership win, when the words of one of the keynote speakers, Arsene Wenger, resonated with him instantly.
In a way, the message from the veteran Arsenal manager summed up a mindset that has driven Mitchell throughout his long and highly successful AFL career - the relentless athlete striving so hard for the next challenge that he has neither the time nor the inclination to enjoy the satisfaction of current success.
Mitchell, 33, has felt that way throughout his highly decorated 15-season career that next Sunday will see him become only the seventh Hawthorn player to reach 300 games. 
For no matter what he has achieved so far - as a team player (four premierships, including three in a row) and as an individual (four best-and-fairests, multiple Brownlow Medal placings, three All-Australian jumpers) - he admitted this week to have never been truly sated by the successes that have been as much a part of his journey as the blond hair, the ability to rack up possessions at will, the No.5 jumper, and the brown and gold guernsey.
"Never," he said. "Part of me thinks that is a blessing because you are trying to be better or striving for something more, but a part of it is a curse because you are never satisfied.
"Even after a Grand Final win you should celebrate like you thought you would do when you were a kid. But on a hot day like last year you are so fatigued and too knackered to celebrate too much. And, to be honest, I can only do that for a week or maybe 10 days, then all I want to do is go off for a run again." But after another best afield performance against Sydney on Thursday night - 30-plus disposals for the 112th time and hacking a well-trained midair kick in the dying minutes to set off the chain that ended in Cyril Rioli's matchwinning goal - Mitchell has finally allowed himself to be as reflective as he has ever been.
That sort of emotion surprised even the man himself, but he is undeniably thankful for what football has provided him, wife Lyndall and children Smith, Emerson and Scarlett.
"I'm not a very reflective person, but I do feel like it is a time in your career when you can reflect on where you have been in your journey," he said.
"You don't normally do that when you play 200 games or 250. But, for me, reaching 300 games seems like a good time to reflect." That's a rare concession for a man who has always looked only at the road in front of him, and rarely, if ever, had cause to peek in the rear vision mirror.
But he won't do it for long before it is back to business against the Tigers next Sunday.
Few footballers have worked as diligently as Mitchell to stamp an imprint on the game, but even he said he felt so fortunate for some of the things that football has provided him.
Top of the list is the club that gave him his chance, and continues to provide him with the opportunity to live a childhood dream.
"If I was playing at a club that wasn't as successful I would be finished now, because they would have shipped me off when I was 27 or 28 for a young up-and-comer," he said. "But because we have had some success, I have been able to be around a bit longer.
"And I'm probably lucky. If one-on-one play had continued and zones hadn't evolved, I would have been finished five years ago. But because of zones now, you are able to protect players who aren't as good in terms of the running, and that's why you have thicker bodied midfielders." Having just signed a one-year deal for 2017, Mitchell's ever-consistent form, the fact his body is still dealing so well with the modern game and his passion to keep performing mean he could easily head into 2018, maybe beyond.
"I'm not putting any date on it," Mitchell said. "You don't rule anything out at this stage. (North Melbourne's) Brent Harvey is still going, and he's nearly 40." But back to reflection.
"If I hadn't played footy and I had ended up a businessman or an engineer or whatever, I would still have had a great life, but I don't think I would ever have been as exposed to as many good people in so many different fields," Mitchell said.
"I didn't probably appreciate that when I was young. If anyone I know needs a great doctor or medical advice, I can get access to them. My children get to go on great holidays each year and I have been surrounded by people of the highest calibre for the past 15 years - teammates, coaches, psychologists, physiotherapists and so many other people.
"I've been lucky enough to get some of the accolades, but I couldn't have done it without hundreds of people supporting me over the years." Mitchell cited a swag of former teammates who showed him the pathway to hard work, including Tim Clarke and Shane Crawford; current teammates such as Luke Hodge for being part of his journey; coaches including Alastair Clarkson, Donald McDonald and Peter Schwab; mentors such as David Parkin; current and former assistant coaches, including Todd Viney; fitness and physiotherapist experts such as Andrew Russell and Andrew Lambart; football officials like Mark Evans and Chris Fagan; his longtime manager Peter Lenton. And, most of all, Lyndall and their young family.
He knows he can be a polarising figure for opposition fans, but the only reason that grates on him at times is because it can have an impact on Lyndall.
"It's not something I hold anywhere near as important as most," he said. "I am well aware that there are lots of fans out there that don't like me, but that's never been really high on my agenda.
"I think the people that really know me like me, and that's the most important thing.
"Obviously, if it was a 50-50, then I would rather people like me than not, but I am not going to change what I do to make people like me." That's why you will never see Mitchell helping an opposition player off the ground during a game. It goes against his grain.
He'll shake hands before a game if the opposition player initiates it. "If someone like (Western Bulldog) Bob Murphy comes in and gives me his hand, I would definitely shake it," Mitchell said. "And I am all for a pat on the back and if a bloke nails me in the tackle, I will say, 'Good tackle mate'. That's not helping him.
"But I would never physically help pick a player up off the ground. I don't like the image it sends to your teammates." And while he doesn't mind having a verbal crack at opposition players, he absolutely draws the line on anything to do with race, religion, sexual preference or family matters.
Mitchell, and Hawthorn, are in the quest to equal the Collingwood "Machine", the only team to win four straight premierships (1927-30).
"I haven't thought about it because, probably in line with what the public perception has been, we have been struggling in a lot of games this year," Mitchell said.
"Last year in Round 7, we demolished Freo in Tassie and it was like, 'Three in a row is a possibility'. But other than the Sydney game (on Thursday), I can't tell you another game where I have thought, 'We can win this'. We just haven't been playing quite as well.
"But we are on top, and that is through some great management as much as anything, but also a portion of luck. Now we have the challenge to take that further later in the year." And that's where the reflective Sam Mitchell retreated and the dissatisfied Sam Mitchell emerged again - striving for more, with an appetite for next challenge.
glenn.mcfarlane@news.com.au
JOIN THE CLUB The Hawks' 300-plus gamers on Mitchell MICHAEL TUCK 426 You have to give it to him because he has worked so hard to get where he is. He deserves all the credit he will get for playing 300 games. I haven't had a lot to do with him, but you have to admire how consistent he has been - I'm not sure why Hawthorn has had so many 300-game players.   Maybe it's a bit of loyalty and the fact they looked after you. And maybe it is because we've had a bit of success and we've played in finals regularly.
LEIGH MATTHEWS 332 He's a genius. You can always start with what Sam is not. Sam is never going to be a 100m sprinter, but he has just about everything else.
He has unbelievable ball skills, he's really smart, he knows the game and takes the right options. He is a beautiful left and right foot kick, which means his ability to move sideways is outstanding. He wins the ball himself, but his ability to distribute is as good as I've seen.
I don't think I've seen a player who is the same on both sides of his body like Sam. You automatically think of Jason Akermanis or someone like Darren Jarman.
He will retire eventually with the thing that you want the most - that he got the best out of the natural talent provided. The only reason to doubt him is his birth certificate, but I wouldn't have thought he has ever played better. He is certainly not deteriorating.
SHANE CRAWFORD 305 Not many 300-gamers in recent years have been contested ball kings, but that's exactly what Sam Mitchell has been throughout his career.
He just has an uncanny knack of finding the ball wherever he is, and better still, he uses it as well as anyone.
He has been a great example of persistence. He never gave up when people doubted him early, and he has carried that determination and belief through his career.
CHRIS LANGFORD 303 I know Mitch would be aware of the club's history, and the things that have formed the club's identity and culture, and that helps people relate to it.
He is such a consistent performer. He doesn't play some brilliant games and some OK games, he is fantastic every week.
He is defensive when he needs to be, and also very creative with the ball. And in a game when a lot of blokes get cheap possessions and don't do much with them, he gets plenty and always uses it well.
He's not slowing up. He doesn't need huge speed, or huge kicks, or brilliant leaps, those sort of things that you lose when you get a bit older. He can still get the ball, he has quick hands and is alert and aware of the things around him. He has no time limits on him as far as I can see.
DON SCOTT 302 Sam certainly gets the most out of his ability. He wasn't a walk-up start to play AFL and there was a lot of conjecture about whether they should have drafted him or not.
He has got a great football brain, and there are a lot of players who haven't. He is not super quick, and there are a few deficiencies, but he has a football brain and that makes all the difference.
KELVIN MOORE 300 I was on the match committee when Sam was drafted. Donald McDonald was Box Hill coach and Johnny Turnbull was the recruiting manager back then.
I remember in between selections you would go to the table and have a discussion. And JT said something like: "I didn't expect to get (Daniel) Elstone, but now we've got him we probably don't need Mitchell, because they are the same sort of player." After a short discussion we were able to talk JT around, and Sam was drafted (at pick No.36 in 2001).
He has been a sensational player for Hawthorn.
THE 300 GAMES AT A CLUB LADDER 6 Hawthorn* 6 Western Bulldogs 5 Essendon 5 North Melbourne 5 St Kilda 4 Adelaide 4 Carlton 3 Brisbane Lions/ Brisbane Bears/Fitzroy 3 Geelong 3 Richmond 3 South Melbourne/ Sydney 2 Collingwood 1 Fremantle 1 Melbourne 1 Port Adelaide *about to be seven when Sam Mitchell reaches the milestone next Sunday
SAM MITCHELL (2002-2016) COMP TOTAL RANK DISPOSALS 7867 1st CONTESTED POSSESSIONS 3127 3rd UNCONTESTED POSSESSIONS 4793 3rd CLEARANCES 1667 1st INSIDE 50s 1132 7th FREE KICKS 431 3rd TACKLES1160 13th