stay hungry

Verb

 * 1)  To maintain a strong motivation to achieve or compete; to avoid complacency.
 * 2) * 2008 May 17, Richard Corliss and Mary Corliss, "Cannes Gets Real" (film review of Tyson), Time (retrieved 8 August 2013) :
 * Tyson was an apt pupil: he obsessively studied old films of boxing legends, learned the spiritual side of the warrior mentality and, he says, "restrained myself from having sex for about five years." . . . But how to stay hungry when you're dining on caviar, sycophancy and willing women?
 * 1) * 2008 May 17, Richard Corliss and Mary Corliss, "Cannes Gets Real" (film review of Tyson), Time (retrieved 8 August 2013) :
 * Tyson was an apt pupil: he obsessively studied old films of boxing legends, learned the spiritual side of the warrior mentality and, he says, "restrained myself from having sex for about five years." . . . But how to stay hungry when you're dining on caviar, sycophancy and willing women?

Usage notes

 * Often used in sporting contexts describing a player's or team's commitment to intense athletic competitiveness.