91+ Best Sports Quotes That Instantly Inspire You

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