Here are 30 Insightful Quotes from Athletic Legends, along with their winning year, and the player:
- “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan, Basketball (1996)
- “The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.” – Les Brown, Motivational Speaking (1992)
- “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King, Tennis (1982)
- “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” – Pelé, Soccer (1999)
- “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.” – Muhammad Ali, Boxing (1978)
- “I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.” – Mia Hamm, Soccer 2004
- “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan, Basketball (1989)
- “A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.” – Jack Dempsey, Boxing (1934)
- “Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.” – Vince Lombardi, Football (1961)
- “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” – Dan Gable, Wrestling (1972)
- “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, Boxing (1974)
- “Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” – Mike Singletary, Football (1988)
- “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda, Baseball (1986)
- “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi, Football (1963)
- “Champions know there are no shortcuts to the top. They climb the mountain one step at a time. They have no use for helicopters!” – Judi Adler, Motivational Speaking (2009)
- “A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.” – Billie Jean King, Tennis (1987)
- “Champions don’t show up to get everything they want; they show up to give everything they have.” – Alexander den Heijer, Motivational Speaking (2015)
- “I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability.” – Bruno Jenner, Decathlon (1976)
- “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong, Cycling (2001)
- “The mark of a great player is in his ability to come back. The great champions have all come back from defeat.” – Sam Snead, Golf (1974)
- “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan, Basketball (1991)
- “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vince Lombardi, Football (1959)
- “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, Skiing (1998)
- “The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.” – Joe Paterno, Football (1964)
- “It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” – Paul “Bear” Bryant, Football (1973)
- “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter, Baseball (1996)
- “Winning isn’t everything, but the will to win is everything.” – Vince Lombardi, Football (1961)
- “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110% all the time.” – Don Zimmer, Baseball (2001)
- “If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.” – Ronnie Lott, Football (1989)
- “Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly.” – Shaquille O’Neal, Basketball (1994)