Great Inspirational Sports Quotes

• Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is.

  Vince Lombardi

  Inspirational, Motivational, Positive

  Quoted in Esquire, Nov. 1962

  30 Copy quote

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• I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.

  Michael Jordan

  Inspirational, Life, Motivational

  "Nike Culture : The Sign of the Swoosh". Book by Robert Goldman, Stephen Papson (p. 49), 1998.

  216 Copy quote

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• If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning is not very exciting.

  Dick Vermeil

  Inspirational, Sports, Hurt

  64 Copy quote

• The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can't do.

  Denis Waitley

  Motivational, Positive, Success

  8 Copy quote

• If at first you don't succeed, You're not an Alpha

  Lisi Harrison

  Success, Inspirational Sports, Firsts

  10 Copy quote

• Never mistake activity for achievement.

  John Wooden

  Inspirational, Basketball, Motivational Sports

  John Wooden (1997). “Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court”, p.8, McGraw Hill Professional

  15 Copy quote

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  Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

  John Wooden

  Inspirational, Success, Basketball

  John Wooden, Jack Tobin, Bill Walton (2004). “They Call Me Coach”, McGraw Hill Professional

  1715 Copy quote

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• Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.

  John Wooden

  Basketball, Motivational Sports, Character

  Andrew Hill, John Wooden (2002). “Be Quick - But Don't Hurry: Finding Success in the Teachings of a Lifetime”, p.114, Simon and Schuster

  31 Copy quote

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• The best and fastest way to learn a sport is to watch and imitate a champion.

  Jean-Claude Killy

  Leadership, Sports, Volleyball

  Jean Claude Killy, Michael Halstead (1978). “Situation Skiing”, Doubleday Books

  15 Copy quote

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• Sports is a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and achieving against great odds. Athletes, in times of difficulty, can be important role models.

  Bill Bradley

  Motivational, Success, Sports

  16 Copy quote

• It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.

  John Wooden

  Basketball, Sports, Perseverance

  "The Graduation Speech I Never Got to Give" by Laura Myers, ndsmcobserver.com. May 20, 2011.

  12 Copy quote

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• Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you.

  Satchel Paige

  Funny, Sports, Baseball

  "How to Keep Young," Collier's, 13 June 1953

  27 Copy quote

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• The five S's of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.

  Ken Doherty

  Inspirational, Motivational, Strength

  81 Copy quote

• It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.

  Seneca the Younger

  Inspirational, Success, Uplifting

  "Moral Letters to Lucilius (Letter LXXXIV)". Book by Seneca the Younger, 1920.

  77 Copy quote

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• If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.

  Herschel Walker

  Motivational, Sports, Football

  Herschel Walker (1989). “Herschel Walker's Basic Training”, Main Street Books

  47 Copy quote

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• Champions keep playing until they get it right.

  Billie Jean King

  Inspirational, Sports, Running

  Twitter post from Jan 26, 2015

  111 Copy quote

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• Show me a guy who's afraid to look bad, and I'll show you a guy you can beat every time.

  Lou Brock

  Inspirational, Motivational, Inspiring

  Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

  56 Copy quote

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• The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.

  Joe Paterno

  Inspirational, Life, Motivational

  67 Copy quote

• There is no such thing as life in-between.

  Pat Riley

  Motivational, Basketball, Sports

  Pat Riley (1993). “The winner within: a life plan for team players”, Putnam Adult

  11 Copy quote

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• The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.

  Pele

  Sports, Inspiration, Athlete

  210 Copy quote
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  A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

  Wayne Gretzky

  Sports, Athlete, Hockey

  135 Copy quote

• You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave - win or lose.

  Gordie Howe

  Inspirational, Motivational, Sports

  32 Copy quote

• How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.

  Lou Holtz

  Motivational, Soccer, Sports

  31 Copy quote

• You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

  Wayne Gretzky

  Inspirational, Motivational, Positive

  109 Copy quote

• Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.

  Lou Holtz

  Inspirational, Success, Sports

  44 Copy quote