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.
Top 10 Sports Quotes
I don’t count my situps. I only start counting once it starts hurting. – Muhammad Ali
Football is like life. It requires perserverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority. – Vince Lombardi
The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose. – Ernie Banks
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. – Tim Notke
It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up. – Babe Ruth
Basketball is a lifelong game. You continue to learn from the game day in and day out, and all along the way, you get better. – Scottie Pippen
When you’re riding, only the race in which you’re riding is important. – Bill Shoemaker
Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever. – Jimmy Valvano
Softball has given me so much in life. It’s taught me the kind of person I want to be and given me a sweet sisterhood. It even led me to my husband. – Jennie Finch
Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind. – Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Most Famous Sports Quotes
The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory. – Les Brown
Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion. – Michael Jordan
Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible. – Frank L. Gaines
I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. – Michael Jordan
The only way to prove you are 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
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretzky
Today, you have 100% of your life left. – Tom Landry
A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever. – Mary Lou Retton
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
If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail. – Mark Spitz
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
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. – Michael Jordan
Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. – Vince Lombardi
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
The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer. – John Madden
Stubbornness usually is considered a negative; but I think that trait has been a positive for me.”- Cal Ripken, Jr.
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
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
There may be people that have more talent than you, but theres no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do. – Derek Jeter
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
Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play. – Mike Singletary
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
When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge. – Terry Bradshaw
Hockey is a unique sport in the sense that you need each and every guy helping each other and pulling in the same direction to be successful. – Wayne Gretzky
If you can’t outplay them, outwork them. – Ben Hogan
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. – William James
One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it. – Knute Rockne
Soccer is simple, but it is difficult to play simple. – Johan Cruyff
The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit. – Ken Doherty
Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. – Satchel Paige
It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters. – Evander Holyfield
An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head. – Emil Zatopek
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
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. – Michael Jordan
Bodybuilding is much like any other sport. To be successful, you must dedicate yourself 100% to your training, diet and mental approach. – Arnold Schwarzenegger
It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up. – Vince Lombardi
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 is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it. – Woodrow T. Wilson
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
You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretzky
Wisdom is always an overmatch for strength. – Phil Jackson
Competing in gymnastics is the greatest reminder of being alive as a human being. – Raj Bhavsar
Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement. – Marv Levy
The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning. – Pele
Golf is a puzzle without an answer. I’ve played the game for 40 years and I still haven’t the slightest idea how to play. – Gary Player
Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it. – George Halas
If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it. – Ronnie Lott
Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period. – Lou Holtz
I’ve learned that something constructive comes from every defeat. – Tom Landry
Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears. – Laird Hamilton
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
I love the whole world of boxing and the sense of community that exists there. — Holt McCallany
Good is not good when better is expected. – Vin Scully
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
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
Make each day your masterpiece. – John Wooden
Lacrosse is probably the best sport I ever played. – Jim Brown
If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all? – Joe Namath
Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do. – John Wooden
A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t. – Jack Dempsey
It ain’t over ’til it’s over. – Yogi Berra
Winners never quit and quitters never win. – Vince Lombardi
Running cross country is the closest man will ever get to flying. – Joseph Vanderstel
One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it. – Knute Rockne
Success is where preparation and opportunity meet. – Bobby Unser
In baseball and in business, there are three types of people. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened. – Tommy Lasorda
If at first you don’t succeed, you are running about average. – M.H. Alderson
Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential. – Liane Cardes
The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination. – Tommy Lasorda
Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up. – Dean Karnazes
I like to hit the gym early in the morning. I feel better throughout the day when I get in a workout first thing in the morning. – Derek Jeter
What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose. – Andre Agassi
Champions keep playing until they get it right. – Billie Jean King
It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe. – Muhammad Ali
You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get. – Michael Phelps
Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you. – Arnold Palmer
You win a few, you lose a few. Some get rained out. But you got to dress for all of them. – Satchel Paige
Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding. – Jim Valvano
Champions keep playing until they get it right. – Billie Jean Kingeval
You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours. – Herb Brooks
What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110 percent all the time. – Don Zimmer
Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while. You do them right all the time. – Vince Lombardi
I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me. And the one guy who didn’t vote for me, thank you, too. – Shaquille O’Neal
It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters. – PaulBear” Bryant
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
Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement. – Matt Biondi
Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence. – George F. Will
The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before. – Steve Young
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
Nobody beat Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row. – Vitas Gerulaitis
I never worry about the problem. I worry about the solution. – Shaquille O’Neal
Most talented players don’t always succeed. Some don’t even make the team. It’s more what’s inside. – Brett Favre
One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team. – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Stubbornness usually is considered a negative; but I think that trait has been a positive for me. – Cal Ripken Jr.
If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful! – Charles Barkley
You’re never a loser until you quit trying. – Mike Ditka
If a team wants to intimidate you physically and you let them, they’ve won. – Mia Hamm
It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there. – Mia Hamm
You’ve got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference. – Chris Evert
When you win, say nothing, when you lose, say less. – Paul Brown
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
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. – Muhammad Ali
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
When I go out there, I have no pity on my brother. I am out there to win. – Joe Frazier
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
I never left the field saying I could have done more to get ready and that gives me piece of mind. – Peyton Manning
To give any less than your best is to sacrifice a gift. – Steve Prefontaine
It’s all about the journey, not the outcome. – Carl Lewis
When I race my mind is full of doubts – who will finish second, who will finish third? – Noureddine Morceli
Leadership, like coaching, is fighting for the hearts and souls of men and getting them to believe in you. – Eddie Robinson
You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out, but you gotta suit up for them all. – J. Askenberg
Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Sports do not build character. They reveal it. – Heywood Broun
Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time. – Lou Brock
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
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
If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat. – Herschel Walker
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
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
Your biggest opponent isn’t the other guy. It’s human nature. – Bobby Knight
If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.- Carl Lewis
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
Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better. – Pat Riley
Win If You Can, Lose If You Must, But NEVER QUIT! – Cameron Trammell
If you have everything under control, you’re not moving fast enough. – Mario Andretti
Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it. – Ted Williams
What do do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it. – Dean Smith
Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds. – Larry Bird
You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get. – Michael Phelpseval
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
The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital. – Joe Paterno
Adversity cause some men to break; others to break records. – William A. Ward
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
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
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
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
It ain’t over till it’s over. – Yogi Berra
Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding. – Jim Valvano
The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it. – Wayne Gretzky
Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. – Dan Gable
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
