Athlete Motivational Sayings and Quotes

 Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.~Michael Jordan

Being an athlete, you know how to train and prepare your body for a performance and you’re able to do it under pressure.~Kristi Yamaguchi

A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.~Mary Lou Retton

Competing at the highest level is the greatest test of one’s character. ~Russell Mark

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

One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.  ~Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. ~Marilyn vos Savant

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

Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.~Arnold Palmer

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

Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up. ~Dean Karnazes

To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.     

~ Tony Dorsett

Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. ~Babe Ruth

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

Your biggest opponent isn’t the other guy. It’s human nature. ~Bobby Knight

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

Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there.~Bo Jackson

If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it. ~Ronnie Lott

Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period. ~Lou Holtz

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

Follow your dreams, work hard, practice and persevere. Make sure you eat a variety of foods, get plenty of exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle.~Sasha Cohen

Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us. ~Wilma Rudolph

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. ~Arnold Schwarzenegger

Success for an athlete follows many years of hard work and dedication.~Michael Diamond

Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way.~Satchel Paige

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.~Tommy Lasorda

Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds. ~Orison Swett Marden

A winner is a loser who was willing to fail and get up, fail and get up, fail and get up, fail and get up and win.~Peter Zafra

You have to believe in yourself when no one else does, that makes you a winner right there.~Venus Williams

What do do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it. ~Dean Smith

The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t’ is you. And you don’t have to listen.~Nike

People do not lack strength; they lack will. ~Victor Hugo

You've got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.~Chris Evert

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

Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds. ~Larry Bird

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

The man who cannot believe in himself cannot believe in anything else. The basis of all integrity and character is whatever faith we have in our own integrity. ~Roy L. Smith

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

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

Concentration is why some athletes are better than others. You develop that concentration in training and concentrate in a meet.  ~Edwin Moses

An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.~Emil Zatopek

You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.~Michael Jordan

Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret.~Anonymous

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

Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.  ~Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it.  ~Ted Williams

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

It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up.~Vince Lombardi

Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding.~Jim Valvano

The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.~Les Brown