160 Short Motivational Quotes For Athletes

A much as we enjoy sports, we also need to be aware that there are a lot of lessons to learn from athletes. Have you ever wondered what made a team to suddenly rise up from defeat to end up winning the game? Have you ever wondered what makes a team remain unbeatable, and don’t tell me it’s because they have the best player, because their opponents have better players. Life is a game and if you must win, you must learn how to play and must know the spirit behind a winner. Here are some motivational quotes gotten from sports and athletes.

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Inspirational Sports Quotes

1. “The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it.” – Wayne Gretzky

2. “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” – Dan Gable

3. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

4. “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi

5. “If you have everything under control, you’re not moving fast enough.” – Mario Andretti

6. “Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it.” – Ted Williams

7. “What do do with a mistake: Recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.” – Dean Smith

8. “Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way.” – Satchel Paige

9. “Some people say I have attitude – maybe I do…but I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right there. ” – Venus Williams

10. “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” – Babe Ruth

11. “It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters.” – Evander Holyfield

12. Inspiration cannot be willed, though it can be wooed. – Anthony Storr

13. Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.  – Henry J. Kaiser

14. Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible.  – Frank L. Gaines

15. Nothing will work unless you do. – John Wooden

16. “The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt.” – Max Lerner

17. “Spirit … has fifty times the strength and staying power of brawn and muscle.” – Unknown

18. “Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Liane Cardes

19. “If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.” – Herschel Walker

20. Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you. Satchel Paige

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21. I found out that if you are going to win games, you had better be ready to adapt ~ Scotty Bowman

22. Life is like a baseball game. When you think a fastball is coming, You gotta be ready to hit the curve ~ Jaja Q

23. You miss 100% of the shots you never take ~ Wayne Gretzky

24. You are never a loser until you quit tryingn ~ Mike Ditka

25. “You only ever grow as a human being if you’re outside your comfort zone” ~ Percy Cerutty

26. “Most talented players don’t always succeed. Some don’t even make the team. It’s more what’s inside.” – Brett Favre

27. “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan

28. “If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.” – Carl Lewis

29. “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan

30. “Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden

31. “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

32. “There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between.” – Pat Riley

33. “A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.” – Jack Dempsey

34. “It ain’t over till it’s over.” – Yogi Berra

35. “Restlessness is discontent – and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man – and I will show you a failure.” – Thomas Alva Edison

36. “The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.”
– Ken Doherty

37. “My jump was imperfect, my run-in was too short and my hands were too far back at takeoff. When I manage to iron out these faults, I am sure I can improve.” – Sergei Bubka

38. Fall seven times, stand up eight.  – Japanese proverb

39. “Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.” – Larry Bird

40. “If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?” – Joe Namath

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41. “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” – Michael Phelps

42. “Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden

43. “You can motivate by fear, and you can motivate by reward. But both those methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self motivation.” – Homer Rice

44. “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 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

45. “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

46. “My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.” – Hank Aaron

47. “The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are still getting beat no matter what you do. When you have the killer instinct to fight through that, it is very special.”
– Eddie Reese

48. “The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

49. “When I go out there, I have no pity on my brother. I am out there to win.” – Joe Frazier

50. “During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.” – Mickey Mantle

51. “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

52. “Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.” – Lou Brock

53. “I didn’t believe in team motivation. I believe in getting a team prepared so it knows it will have the necessary confidence when it steps on the field and be prepared to play a good game.” – Tom Landry

54. “If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.” – Herschel Walker

55. “Your biggest opponent isn’t the other guy. It’s human nature.” – Bobby Knight

56. “I never left the field saying I could have done more to get ready and that gives me piece of mind.” – Peyton Manning

57. “Leadership, like coaching, is fighting for the hearts and souls of men and getting them to believe in you.” – Eddie Robinson

58. “You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out, but you gotta suit up for them all.” – J. Askenberg

59. “You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours.” – Herb Brooks

60. “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110 percent all the time.” – Don Zimmer

61. “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.” – Mark Spitz

62. “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

63. “Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second.” – William James

64. “Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” – Mike Singletary

65. “If at first you don’t succeed, you are running about average.” – M.H. Alderson

66. The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose.” – Ernie Banks

67. “Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible.”– Frank L. Gaines

68. “When you’re riding, only the race in which you’re riding is important.” – Bill Shoemaker

69. “Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden

70. “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

71. “Wisdom is always an overmatch for strength.” – Phil Jackson

72. “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”– Dan Gable

73. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

74. “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi

75. “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan

76. “Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden

77. “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” – Pat Riley

78. “Most talented players don’t always succeed. Some don’t even make the team. It’s more what’s inside.” – Brett Favre

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79. “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan

80. “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

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81. “Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.” – Lou Brock

82. “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” – Babe Ruth
“It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters.” – Evander Holyfield

83. “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

84. “Leadership, like coaching, is fighting for the hearts and souls of men and getting them to believe in you.” – Eddie Robinson

85. “You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out, but you gotta suit up for them all.” – J. Askenberg

86. “Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.” – Arnold Palmer

87. “Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Liane Cardes

88. “Good is not good when better is expected.” – Vin Scully

89. “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda

90. “Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.” – Jackie Joyner-Kersee

91. “I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability.” – Bruce Jenner

92. “A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.” – Mary Lou Retton

93. “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

94. “The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Joe Frazier

95. “When I go out there, I have no pity on my brother. I am out there to win.” – Joe Frazier

96. “During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.” – Mickey Mantle

97. “I never left the field saying I could have done more to get ready and that gives me piece of mind.” – Peyton Manning

98. “Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding.” – Jim Valvano

99. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”  – Wayne Gretzky

100. “The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it.” – Wayne Gretzky

101. “One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it.” – Knute Rockne

102. “The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.” – Ken Doherty

103. “An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.” – Emil Zatopek

104. “Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her.” – Mia Hamm

105. “The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.” – Joe Paterno

106. “Adversity cause some men to break; others to break records.” – William A. Ward

107. “Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way.” – Satchel Paige

108. “Some people say I have attitude – maybe I do…but I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right there. ” – Venus Williams

109. “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

110. “My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.” – Hank Aaron

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111. “I didn’t believe in team motivation. I believe in getting a team prepared so it knows it will have the necessary confidence when it steps on the field and be prepared to play a good game.” – Tom Landry

112. “If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.” – Herschel Walker

113. “You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.” – Arthur Ashe

114. “What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose.” – Andre Agassi

115. “The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” – Pele

116. “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team. ” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

117. “Win If You Can, Lose If You Must, But NEVER QUIT!” – Cameron Trammell

118. “Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” – Mike Singletary

119. “If you have everything under control, you’re not moving fast enough.” – Mario Andretti

120. “Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it.” – Ted Williams

121. “When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.” – Terry Bradshaw

122. “Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss.” – Doug Williams

123. “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

124. “Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.” – Marv Levy

125. “There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between.” – Pat Riley

126. “A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.” – Jack Dempsey

127. “It ain’t over till it’s over.” – Yogi Berra

128. “You’re never a loser until you quit trying.” – Mike Ditka

129. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King

130. “You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours.” – Herb Brooks

131. “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110 percent all the time.” – Don Zimmer

132. “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.” – Mark Spitz

133. “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

134. “What do do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.” – Dean Smith

135. “Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.” – Larry Bird

136. “If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?” – Joe Namath

137. “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” – Michael Phelps

138. “Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.” – Ross Perot

139. “You have to do something in your life that is honorable and not cowardly if you are to live in peace with yourself.” – Larry Brown

140. “There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”36 – Derek Jeter (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

141. “There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter25

142. “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” – Ted Williams

143. “You can motivate by fear, and you can motivate by reward. But both those methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self motivation.” – Homer Rice

144. “Your biggest opponent isn’t the other guy. It’s human nature.” – Bobby Knight

145. “If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.” – Ronnie Lott

146. “Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.” – Lou Holtz

147. “If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.” – Carl Lewis

148. “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson

149. “I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.” – Sandy Koufax

150. “If you can’t outplay them, outwork them.” – Ben Hogan

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151. “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” – Rogers Hornsby

152. “I’ve learned that something constructive comes from every defeat.” – Tom Landry

153. “Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” – Laird Hamilton

154. “The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.” – John Madden

155. “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” – George Halas

156. “Stubbornness usually is considered a negative; but I think that trait has been a positive for me.” – Cal Ripken Jr.

157. “You’ve got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.” – Chris Evert

158. “When you win, say nothing, when you lose, say less.” – Paul Brown

159. “The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are still getting beat no matter what you do. When you have the killer instinct to fight through that, it is very special.” – Eddie Reese

160. Dont dream of winning, train for it ~ Unknown

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CJ Stanley
CJ Stanley
CJ is a voracious learner, especially when it has to do with infotech. He loves good food and when he is not surfing the web, he is trying out some strange but amazing food combinations.

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