Let these sports quotes give
you the motivation to be the best at what you do.
Be inspired by the champions, the winners and the everyday people who
were determined to be the best they could be.
Words of wisdom from players,
coaches, and people who have experienced the joy of sports.
Sports can teach us a lot about life. From playing in a team to being your best,
to just having fun.
An athlete is a normal person with the gift of an undying passion
to be the best and achieve greatness.
Amanda Ring
Passion
I was told over and over again that I would never be successful,
that I was not going to be competitive and the technique was simply
not going to work. All I could do was shrug and say "We'll just have to see".
Dick Fosbury, High Jumper
Inspirational Quotes
An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope
in his heart
and dreams in his head.
Emil Zatopek, Long-distance Runner
Hope
Thinking clearly and acting effectively under pressure is something every
pro player must learn to do.
Mike Kane, Sports Psychology
Stress
Famous gymnasts, track stars, and athletes of all types have known,
practiced and sang the praises of mental rehearsals for ages.
Sandra Bell, Lunchtime Joy Magnet
Famous
If you examine sports teams closely, you will find that a team doesn't
necessarily have to have the best players to win championships to succeed.
Michael Welton, Be Your Best
Team
For all the techniques and interventions that sport psychologists use,
though, the biggest way to effect a change in a person is to understand them.
John Perry, Sport Psychology
Quote of the Day
If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?
Joe Namath
Determination
I found out that if you are going to win games,
you had better be ready to adapt.
Scotty Bowman
Change
Most other competitions are individual achievements,
but the Olympic Games is something that belongs to everybody.
Scott Hamilton
Accomplishment
Sports serves many purposes. It can entertain us, bring
people together for some friendly competition,
and it can also teach us lessons for everyday life.
Daniel Stephenson, 101 Inspirational Sports Quotes
Quotes on Life Lessons
You miss 100% of the shots you never take.
Wayne Gretzky
Taking Risks
Champions keep playing until they get it right.
Billie Jean King
Perseverance
I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now
and live the rest of your life as a champion."
Muhammad Ali, Professional Boxer
Attitude
Sports are the reason I am out of shape. I watch them all on TV.
Thomas Sowell
Funny Quotes about Life
If you can't outplay them, outwork them.
Ben Hogan, Professional Golfer
Work
When you're riding, only the race in which you're riding is important.
Bill Shoemaker, Jockey
Purpose
Champions do not become champions when they
win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years
they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself
is merely the demonstration of their championship character.
T. Alan Armstrong
Character
Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.
Matt Biondi, Competition Swimmer
Persistence
Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from
something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.
Muhammad Ali
Dream
You are the handicap you must face. You are the one who must
choose your place.
James Lane Allen Choices
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.
Michael Jordan Words of Encouragement
I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive.
I had to get out there and go for it. . . I know fear is an obstacle for
some people, but it's an illusion to me.
Michael Jordan Fear
It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges,
and I believed in myself.
Muhammad Ali
Faith
Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence.
George F. Will Example
Clarify your direction as soon as possible - it is the most important decision
in sports, and everyone knows it, which is curious, because in life,
it is the most important decision as well, but not many people take
it into account.
Helena Angel, How To Be Happy
Decision
Goals prepare Olympic athletes physically and mentally.
Did you know that goals are used by sports psychologists in order
to help athletes improve their performance?
Paul Bailey, Your Little Steps to Self Confidence for Life
Goal
In sports, players need to be reminded of their competition to
become motivated to practice. The same can be applied in business.
Gavin McGinnis, Coaching: 10 Coaching Skills
Focus
Any guy who can maintain a positive attitude without much
playing time certainly earns my respect.
Earvin Magic Johnson, Basketball Player
Positive Attitude Quotes
I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed
entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn't have
a chance to win.
Arnold Palmer
Effort
Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life.
Billie Jean King
Teacher
The mind messes up more shots than the body.
Tommy Bolt, Professional Golfer
Mindset
What is love? Love is playing every game as if it's your last!
>Michael Jordan, Basketball Player
Basketball Quotes
The athlete who is building muscles though weight training should be
very sure to work adequately on speed and flexibility at the same time.
In combat, without the prior attributes, a strong man will be like the
bull with its colossal strength futilely pursuing the matador or like a
low-geared truck chasing a rabbit.
Bruce Lee Cute Quotes
I don't know about you but I personally find it distasteful competing
without respect. But we must earn it!
Coach Don James, The Thursday Speeches
Respect
Hockey is a unique sport in the sense that you need each and
every guy helping each other and pulling in the same direction to be
successful.
Wayne Gretzky Successful
"Basketball is like photography, if you don't focus, all you have is the negative."
Dan Frisby
Negativity
"In sports, you simply aren't considered a real champion until you
have defended your title successfully. Winning it once can be a fluke;
winning it twice proves you are the best."
Althea Gibson
Winning
"All these boundaries… Africa, Asia, Malaysia, America - are set by men.
But you don't have to look at boundaries when you are looking at a man -
at the character of a man.
The question is: What do you stand for? Are you a follower, or
are you a leader? "
Hakeem Olajuwon, Basketball Player
Leadership
"The man who has no imagination has no wings."
Muhammad Ali, Champion Wrestler
Imagination
"I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to
work hard at it. Whether you're a musician, a writer, an athlete or a
businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you'll win--if you don't,
you won't."
Bruce Jenner, Decathlon Olympic Gold Medalist
Life
They say "practice makes perfect", this is so true for any type of sports.
The more practice the better you become.
Kate Summers
Practice
"The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work
hard every day, that I never dog it."
Wayne Gretzky, Canadian Hockey Player
Positive Quotes for Work
"The only way to get people to like working hard is to motivate them.
Today, people must understand why they're working hard. Every individual
in an organization is motivated by something different."
Rick Pitino, Basketball Coach
Motivational
Life is like sports - you win some, you lose some.
But, what is important is your attitude when you lose - how fast you
get back up and start again.
Catherine Pulsifer
Giving Up
Be bold. If you're going to make an error, make a doozy, and don't be afraid to hit the ball.
Billie Jean King, Tennis Player
Bold
Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding.
Jim Valvano, American College Basketball Player and Coach
Failure
"To me, there are three things we all should do every day.
We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh.
You should laugh every day.
Number two is think.
You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you
should have your emotions moved to tears, could be
happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry,
that's a full day.
That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week,
you're going to have something special."
Jim Valvano, Basketball Coach
Laughter
To uncover your true potential, you must first find your own limits
and then you have to have the courage to blow past them.
Picabo Street, World Cup Alpine Ski Racer and Olympic Gold Medalist
Courage
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand,
and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
Vince Lombardi Dedication
I can tell you one thing. I've done this my way. I don't have anybody to
blame for this win but me, and I love it.
John Daly
Blame
I think it's the mark of a great player to be confident in tough situations.
John McEnroe, Tennis player
Confidence
It was in sports that he (Dwight Eisenhower) first discovered his
talents as a leader and an organizer. As a boy, he provided the energy
and leadership that led to a Saturday-afternoon game of football or baseball.
Stephen E. Ambrose, Eisenhower: Soldier and President
Dwight Eisenhower Quotes
When you've got something to prove, there's nothing greater than a challenge.
Terry Bradshaw, Football Quarterback
Challenge
Number one is just to gain a passion for running. To love the morning, to love the trail, to love the pace on the track. And if some kid gets really good at it, that's cool too.
Pat Tyson, Track and Field Coach
Running
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part,
just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.
The essential thing is not to
have conquered but to have fought well.
The Olympic Creed
Inspirational Quotes about Life and Struggles
You learn you can do your best even when its hard, even when you're
tired and maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage.
Joe Namath
Best Quotes
The only way to overcome is to hang in. Even I'm starting to believe that.
Dan OBrien, Olympic gold medalist
Overcoming
The one nice thing about sports is that they prove men do have
emotions and are not afraid to show them.
Jane O'Reilly
Feeling
My dad has always taught me these words: care and share.
That's why we put on clinics. The only thing I can do is try to give back.
If it works, it works.
Tiger Woods
Sharing
When you're playing against a stacked deck, compete even harder.
Show the world how much you'll fight for the winners circle. If you do,
someday the cellophane
will crackle off a fresh pack, one that belongs to you, and the cards
will be stacked in your favor.
Pat Riley, Basketball Coach and Player
Great Quotes about Life
Often mothers and fathers hesitate to be too involved, not wanting
to be seen as clamoring or insistent - as stereotypical sports parents.
It is a difficult
thing to balance: coaches may know a sport, but they are rarely
the best judges of what is best for a child.
Michael Sokolove, Warrior Girls
Parents
So many players enter the game with the same approximate skills.
The difference is not aptitude but attitude.
Dave Winfield, 12-time MLB All-Star, World Series Champion
Top Ten Quotes about Attitude
The Invictus Games are an international multisport event for WIS
(wounded, injured and sick) Armed Services personnel and veterans.
The Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support
rehabilitation and increase awareness of the sacrifices made by those
who serve.
Boris Starling, Unconquerable: The Invictus Spirit
Recovery
