Sports Coach Quotes

• Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

  John Wooden

  Basketball, Beautiful, God

  1302 Copy quote

• A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.

  Billie Jean King

  Motivational, Success, Sports

  FaceBook post by Billie Jean King from May 14, 2010

  61 Copy quote

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• I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em.

  Jim Valvano

  Trust, Basketball, Motivational Sports

  72 Copy quote

• We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.

  Vince Lombardi

  Inspirational, Motivational, Believe

  18 Copy quote

• Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.

  Vince Lombardi

  Sports, Respect, Football

  63 Copy quote

• Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

  Vince Lombardi

  Inspirational, Motivational, Volleyball

  Vince Lombardi, Balance Design (1998). “Motivation Lombardi Style”

  25 Copy quote

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• You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.

  John Wooden

  Inspirational, Basketball, Motivational Sports

  "The Wizard's wisdom: 'Woodenisms'", www.espn.com. June 4, 2010.

  26 Copy quote

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• Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.

  Vince Lombardi

  Motivational, Success, Football

  19 Copy quote

• It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.

  John Wooden

  Basketball, Motivational Sports, Courage

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

  45 Copy quote

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• One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.

  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

  Basketball, Teamwork, Sports

  Twitter post from Mar 27, 2013

  91 Copy quote

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• If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.

  John Wooden

  Life, Positive, Basketball

  "The Wizard's wisdom: 'Woodenisms'", www.espn.com. June 4, 2010.

  14 Copy quote

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• Coaches have to watch for what they don't want to see and listen to what they don't want to hear.

  John Madden

  Success, Sports, Teamwork

  27 Copy quote

• You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours.

  Herb Brooks

  Inspirational, Motivational, Sports

  78 Copy quote

• We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time.

  Vince Lombardi

  Sarcastic, Sports, Football

  92 Copy quote

• The coach should be the absolute boss, but he still should maintain an open mind.

  Red Auerbach

  Basketball, Sports, Boss

  10 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

  13 Copy quote

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• Winning is about having the whole team on the same page.

  Bill Walton

  Motivational, Basketball, Sports

  58 Copy quote

• I have a rule on my team: When we talk to one another, we look each other right in the eye, because I think it's tough to lie to somebody. You give respect to somebody.

  Mike Krzyzewski

  Basketball, Sports, Lying

  "Duke of the Court". The Academy of Achievememnt Interview, www.achievement.org. May 22, 1997.

  9 Copy quote

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• Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Inspirational, Life, Motivational

  Essays "Circles" (1841)

  80 Copy quote

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

  Joe Paterno

  Inspirational, Life, Motivational

  74 Copy quote

• The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.

  John Madden

  Inspirational, Positive, Leadership

  74 Copy quote

• Great teamwork is the only way we create the breakthroughs that define our careers.

  Pat Riley

  Basketball, Teamwork, Motivational Sports

  Pat Riley (1993). “Winner Within Success”, Putnam Publishing Group

  32 Copy quote

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• A person really doesn't become whole, until he becomes a part of something that's bigger than himself.

  Jim Valvano

  Motivational, Basketball, Sports

  55 Copy quote

• Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

  Seneca the Younger

  Inspirational, Success, Tattoo

  65 Copy quote
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  Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We.

  Phil Jackson

  Basketball, Teamwork, Sports

  289 Copy quote