Inspirational sports quotes will get you through anything when the going gets tough and help you succeed in every aspect of life.
If you’re searching for best quotes that perfectly capture what you’d like to say or just want to feel inspired yourself, browse through an amazing collection of motivational quotes for athletes, encouraging quotes, and quotes about strength.
Most Famous Sports Quotes
The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose. Ernie Banks
Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible. Frank L. Gaines
When you’re riding, only the race in which you’re riding is important. Bill Shoemaker
The man who has no imagination has no wings. Muhammad Ali
Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind. Jackie Joyner Kersee
Today, you have 100% of your life left. Tom Landry
A Wilson tennis ball sitting at the intersection fo two lines on a tennis court
A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever. Mary Lou Retton
Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible. Frank L. Gaines
The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose. Ernie Banks
I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability. Bruce Jenner
It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters. Evander Holyfield
A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever. Mary Lou Retton
The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning. Pele
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
One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it. Knute Rockne
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
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. Michael Jordan
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
Champions keep playing until they get it right. Billie Jean King
There may be people that have more talent than you, but theres no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do. Derek Jeter
I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability. Bruce Jenner
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
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 practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it. Knute Rockne
Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you. Arnold Palmer
The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit. Ken Doherty
If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you. Fred Devito
An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head. Emil Zatopek
Victory is in having done your best. If you’ve done your best, you’ve won. Billy Bowerman
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
An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head. Emil Zatopek
When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge. Terry Bradshaw
There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either ın or you’re out. There is no such thing as life in between. Pat Riley
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
You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours. Herb Brooks
It’s not the will to win that matters everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters. Paul Bryant
The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important. Bobby Knight
Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement. Marv Levy
I don’t plan on being disappointed. We plan on being really good, and obviously, we plan on winning. Gregg Troy
I’ve learned that something constructive comes from every defeat. Tom Landry
If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful! Charles Barkley
Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears. Laird Hamilton
Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t. Jerry Rice
Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there. Bo Jackson
You might not be able to outthink, out market or outspend your competition, but you can outwork them. Lou Holtz
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
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
If you can’t outplay them, outwork them. Ben Hogan
What do you do with a mistake recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it. Dean Smith
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
You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good. Jerry West
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. William James
It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. Babe Ruth
Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play. Mike Singletary
Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do. John Wooden
If at first you don’t succeed, you are running about average. M.H. Alderson
If you have everything under control, you’re not moving fast enough. Mario Andretti
Continuous effort not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential. Liane Cardes
You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get. Michael Phelps
Good is not good when better is expected. Vin Scully
Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy. Wayne Gretzky
The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination. Tommy Lasorda
Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit. Vince Lombardi
You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours. Herb Brooks
What keeps me going is not winning, but the quest for reaching potential in myself as a coach and my kids as divers. It’s the pursuit of excellence. Ron O’Brien
What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110 percent all the time. Don Zimmer
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
If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail. Mark Spitz
I think sports gave me the first place where this awkward girl could feel comfortable in my own skin. I think that’s true for a lot of women sports gives you a part of your life where you can work at something and you look in the mirror and you like that person. Teri McKeever
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
Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard to find alloy called guts. Dan Gable
Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement. Matt Biondi
The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it. Wayne Gretzky
Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence. George F. Will
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
The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self improvement, about being better than you were the day before. Steve Young
Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. William A. Ward
The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer. John Madden
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
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
What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose. Andre Agassi
A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning. Pat Riley
It ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. Sylvester Stallon
Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story. Casey Stengel
Most talented players don’t always succeed. Some don’t even make the team. It’s more what’s inside. Brett Favre
It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up. Vince Lombardi
One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
In the end, the game comes down to one thing: man against man. May the best man win. Sam Huff
