Playing a sport starts out as a means of fun and recreation; but, somewhere along the way, in the midst of all the fun, we realize that sports can often be a metaphor for achieving success, because of the lessons it teaches us about life. Sports motivational quotes, thus, naturally tend to help us shed our self-pity and inspire us to do better.
What Does Sport Teach Us?
* Sports teach us about team spirit and the importance of working together to accomplish a common goal.
* It teaches us to shoulder responsibility, and how to cope with defeat and failure.
* It teaches how to remain focused on a task for the period of time required to achieve it.
* It also teaches us about consistency and concentration, how to overcome weaknesses, and go beyond our limits.
Sports Quotes – The Encouragement
Today, the sports industry is worth many, many million dollars. Sports men and women have to perform under tremendous pressure, sacrifice other important things in life, and even play with injuries. In such circumstances, it can be very comforting to read the sports motivational quotes from some of the greatest sportspeople, who have experienced it all – the sweat, the toil, the despair, the triumph and the joy! So, any time you feel right down in the dumps, read some of the best sports motivational quotes and take inspiration from them.
Best Motivational Sports Quotes
“The pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret.”
– Sarah Bombell (Swimmer)
“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without a total 100 percent dedication, you won’t be able to do this.”
– Willie Mays (Baseball player)
“The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory.”
– Vince Lombardi (Football coach)
“Luck? Sure. But only after long practice and only with the ability to think under pressure.”
– Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Athlete)
“You’re not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have.”
– Oscar Pistorius (Sprint runner)
“Don’t give up at half-time. Concentrate on winning the second half.”
– Paul Bryant (Head Coach of University of Alabama’s Football Team)
“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 (Tennis player)
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
– John Wooden (Basketball player and coach)
“If you believe in yourself, have dedication and pride and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards.”
– Paul Bryant (Head Coach of University of Alabama’s Football Team)
“The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight.”
– Arthur Ashe (Tennis player)
“You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.”
– Jerry West (Basketball player)
“The answer to three questions will determine your success or failure.
1 – Can people trust me to do my best?
2 – Am I committed to the task in hand?
3 – Do I care about other people and show it?
If the answers to all three questions are yes, there is no way you can fail.”
– Lou Holtz (Football coach)
“I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you’re a musician, a writer, an athlete or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you’ll win–if you don’t, you won’t.”
– Bruce Jenner (Olympic Gold Medalist, Decathlon)
“You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave – win or lose.”
– Gordie Howe (Ice Hockey player)
“I learned that if you want to make it bad enough, no matter how bad it is, you can make it.”
– Gale Sayers (Football player)
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”
– Vince Lombardi (Football coach)
“It’s great to win, but it’s also great fun just to be in the thick of any truly well and hard fought contest against opponents you respect, whatever the outcome.”
– Jack Nicklaus (Golfer)
“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.”
– George Herman “Babe” Ruth (Baseball player)
“The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self improvement, about being better than you were the day before.”
– Steve Young (Football player)
“If you don’t invest very much, then defeat doesn’t hurt very much and winning is not very exciting.”
– Dick Vermeil (Head Coach for many teams in National Football League)
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.”
– Muhammad Ali (Boxer)
“Positive thinking is the key to success in business, education, pro football, anything that you can mention. I go out there thinking that I’m going to complete every pass.”
– Ron Jaworski (Football player)
“Just do what you do best.”
– Red Auerbach (Basketball coach)
“I didn’t just jump back on the bike and win. There were a lot of ups and downs, good results and bad results, but this time I didn’t let the lows get to me.”
– Lance Armstrong (Road Racing Cyclist)
“Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it.”
– Stan Smith (Tennis player)
“I’ve missed more than 9000 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 (Basketball player)
