Be a champion

Be a champion


Start writing down your own thoughts. Make notes expanding on what others have said, and come up with your own original thoughts which you can write down and use to guide yourself toward your goals. Perhaps, in addition to leading a successful life yourself, someday your words might even help lead others along the road to success. Enjoy, reflect, have fun, and good luck!




It's better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.
Jackie Joyner Kersee, Olympian

You can't let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones.
Dale Earnhardt, Race Car Driver

The only way to overcome is to hang in.
Dan O'Brien, Olympian

If you have an objective in life, you shouldn't be afraid to stand up and say it.
Johnny Bench, Baseball Player

Winning breeds confidence and confidence breeds winning.
Hubert Green, Golfer

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




It's discouraging to make a mistake, but it's humiliating when you find out you're so unimportant that nobody noticed it.


Chuck Daly, Basketball Coach




There are no secrets to golf. The secret of success is practice, constant but intelligent practice.


Ernest Jones, Golfer




Never change a winning game; always change a losing one.


Bill Tilden, Tennis Player




I worked very hard. I felt I could play the game. The only thing that could stop me was myself.


Jim Abbott, Baseball Player




If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That's all it takes to get people to win football games.


Bear Bryant, Football Coach




Losing is no disgrace if you've given your best.


Jim Palmer, Baseball Player




The best ballplayer's the one who doesn't think he made good. He keeps trying to convince you.


Casey Stengel, Baseball Manager




Each shot is important.


Gary Player, Golfer




My parents put skates on me at age 2, the way it should be if you're serious, and I've always liked it.


Bonnie Blair, Olympian




It ain't braggin' if you can do it.


Dizzy Dean, Baseball Player






Whatever you do, don't do it halfway.


Bob Beamon, Olympian




My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match.


Bjorn Borg, Tennis Player




Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble.


John Madden, Football Coach




A person always doing his or her best becomes a natural leader, just by example.


Joe Di Maggio, Baseball Player




Many times when fear starts to get me, my best chance of overcoming it lies in facing it squarely and examining it rationally.


Jack Nicklaus, Golfer




Every day you waste is one you can never make up.


George Allen, Football Coach




The main reason I wanted to be successful was to get out of the ghetto. My parents helped direct my path.


Florence Griffith-Joyner, Olympian




I can feel the wind go by when I run. It feels good. It feels fast.


Evelyn Ashford, Olympian




I never lost a game. I just ran out of time.


Bobby Layne, Football Player




If you're not just a little bit nervous before a match, you probably don't have the expectations of yourself that you should have.


Hale Irwin, Golfer




You go for it. All the stops are out. Caution is to the wind, and you're battling with everything you have. That's the real fun of the game.


Dan Dierdorf, Football Player




Practice without improvement is meaningless.


Chuck Knox, Football Coach




I played with intensity and enthusiasm, but most important, I played to win.


Carlton Fisk, Baseball Player




Football doesn't build character. It eliminat


es weak ones.


Darrell Royal, Football Coach




I never perceived myself to be the big star. I'm only one of nine guys. I think it is good to think that way.


Cal Ripken Jr., Baseball Player




One way to break up any kind of tension is good deep breathing.


Byron Nelson, Golfer




I won it, at least five million times. Men who were stronger, bigger and faster than I was could have done it, but they never picked up a pole, and never made the feeble effort to pick their legs off the ground and get over the bar.


Bob Richards, Olympian




You can learn a line from a win and a book from a defeat.


Paul Brown, Football Coach




If they get a hit, then I am throwing a one-hitter. If they get a walk, it's my last walk. I deal with perfection to the point that it's logical to conceive it. History is history, the future is perfect.


Orel Hershiser, Baseball Player




The only pressure I'm under is the pressure I've put on myself.


Mark Messier, Hockey Player




I think it's the mark of a great player to be confident in tough situations.


John McEnroe, Tennis Player




You're not going to get far until you have a burning desire to excel.


Nolan Ryan, Baseball Player




Nothing will work unless you do.


John Wooden, Basketball Coach




I think any player will tell you that individual accomplishments help your ego, but if you don't win, it makes for a very, very long season. It counts more that the team has played well.


David Robinson, Basketball Player




The word is control. That's my ultimate - to have control.


Nick Faldo, Golfer




If you are determined enough and willing to pay the price, you can get it done.


Mike Ditka, Football Coach




The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It's the same thing, fear, but it's what you do with it that matters.


Gus D'Amato, Boxing Trainer




I hate to lose more than I love to win.


Jimmy Connors, Tennis Player




When all is said and done, as a rule, more is said than done.


Lou Holtz, Football Coach




Aggressive play is a vital asset of the world's greatest golfers. However, it's even more important to the average player. Attack this game in a bold, confident, and determined way, and you'll make a giant leap toward realizing your full potential as a player.


Greg Norman, Golfer




Whatever muscles I have are the product of my own hard work and nothing else.


Evelyn Ashford, Olympian




A winner never whines.


Paul Brown, Football Coach




I do believe in praising that which deserves to be praised.


Dean Smith, Basketball Coach




Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.


Bill Russell, Basketball Player




The only one who can beat me is me.


Michael Johnson, Olympian



When I get out onto the field, nothing is a joke to me.


Hank Aaron, Baseball Player




Don't do anything in practice that you wouldn't do in the game.


George Halas, Football Coach




For every finish-line tape a runner breaks - complete with the cheers of the crowd and the clicking of hundreds of cameras - there are the hours of hard and often lonely work that rarely gets talked about.


Grete Waitz, Olympian




You prove your worth with your actions, not with your mouth.


Pat Riley, Basketball Coach




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, Hockey Player




I am a winner every time I go into the ring.


George Foreman, Boxer




I go into the locker room and find a corner and just sit there. I try to achieve a peaceful state of nothingness that will carry over onto the golf course. If I can get that feeling of quiet and obliviousness within myself, I feel I can't lose.


Jane Blalock, Golfer




If you're going to dedicate every second to winning the decathlon, what are you doing wasting your time in bed?


Bruce Jenner, Olympian




If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you'll die a lot of times.


Dean Smith, Basketball Coach




Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half.


Bum Phillips, Football Coach




Champions keep playing until they get it right.


Billie Jean King, Tennis Player




I never quit trying. I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win.


Arnold Palmer, Golfer




Goals determine what you're going to be.


Julius Erving, Basketball Player




Ingenuity, plus coverage, plus work, equals miracles.


Bob Richards, Olympian




Every time, all the time, I'm a perfectionist. I feel I should never lose.


Chris Evert, Tennis Player




During my 18 years I came to bat almost 109,000 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 in the major leagues without even hitting the ball.


Mickey Mantle, Baseball Player




No one wants to quit when he's losing and no one wants to quit when he's winning. Richard Petty, Race Car Driver




All I had to do was keep turning left.


George Robson, Race Car Driver




Somebody will always break your records. It is how you live that counts.


Earl Campbell, Football Player




I never stay away from workouts. I work hard. I've tried to take care of my body. I'll never look back and say that I could have done more. I've paid the price in practice, but I know I get the most out of my ability.


Carl Yastrzemski, Baseball Player




The key to any game is to use your strengths and hide your weaknesses.


Paul Westphal, Basketball Coach




The secret to success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching.


Dennis Green, Football Coach



Golf is a compromise between what your ego wants you to do, what experience tells you to do, and what your nerves will let you do.


Bruce Crampton, Golfer




The worst thing you can do is start slow, or con yourself into thinking that you can take your time getting into a match. The curtain is up so you've got to perform.


Jack Kramer, Tennis Player




It's not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it's what you put into the practice.


Eric Lindros, Hockey Player




A great manager has a knack for making ballplayers think they are better than they think they are. He forces you to have a good opinion of yourself. He lets you know he believes in you. He makes you get more out of yourself. And once you learn how good you really are, you never settle for playing anything less than your very best.


Reggie Jackson, Professional Baseball Player




I'm not out there just to be dancing around. I expect to win every time I tee up.


Lee Trevino, Golfer




Your mind is what makes everything else work.


Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Basketball Player




Nothing is work unless you'd rather be doing something else.


George Halas, Football Coach




When you're prepared, you're more confident. When you have a strategy, you're more comfortable.


Fred Couples, Golfer




When his enthusiasm goes, he's through as a player.


Pete Rose, Baseball Player




One of the most difficult things everyone has to learn is that for your entire life you must keep fighting and adjusting if you hope to survive. No matter who you are or what your position is you must keep fighting for whatever it is you desire to achieve.


George Allen, Football Coach




One chance is all you need.


Jesse Owens, Olympian




Success is not forever and failure isn't fatal.


Don Shula, Football Coach




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


Chris Evert, Tennis Player




You must play boldly to win.


Arnold Palmer, Golfer




Racing takes everything you've got - intellectually, emotionally, physically - and then you have to find about ten percent more and use that too.


Janet Guthrie, Race Car Driver




The more success one achieves, the more pressure there is that goes with it, and I accept it. I'd sure rather have the pressure of success than the lack of pressure that goes with anonymity.


Roger Clemens, Baseball Player




The tougher the job, the greater the reward.


George Allen, Football Coach




Stealing bases for me is an art. I focus. My total concentration is focused on that moment when I'm going. I'm in a zone.


Rickey Henderson, Baseball Player




Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done.


John Unitas, Football Player




I'm a very intense person. When I go after something, I want to go after it with everything I have. I want to push myself to the edge.


Greg Norman, Golfer




I look at victory as milestones on a very long highway.


Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympian




You have to set the goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.


Steve Garvey, Baseball Player




Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.


Lou Holtz, Football Coach




Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think of you.


John Wooden, Basketball Coach




Yesterday is a canceled check. Today is cash on the line. Tomorrow is a promissory note.


Hank Stram, Football Coach




When I lose a match, I know that I lose on the court and not in life.


Gabriela Sabatini, Tennis Player




Never let up. The more you can win by, the more doubts you put in the other players' minds the next time out.


Sam Snead, Golfer




You can't be afraid of being hit and be a good hitter.


Rod Carew, Baseball Player




If I don't practice the way I should, then I won't play the way that I know I can.


Ivan Lendl, Tennis Player




I feel that the most important step in any major accomplishment is setting a specific goal. This enables you to keep your mind focused on your goal and off the many obstacles that will arise when you're striving to do your best.


Kurt Thomas, Olympian




I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give.


Roberto Clemente, Baseball Player




Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.


Mike Singletary, Football Player




Leadership is getting players to believe in you. If you tell a teammate you're ready to play as tough as you're able to, you'd better go out there and do it. Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you're not giving it all you've got. Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It's being able to take it as well as dish it out. That's the only way you're going to get respect from the players.


Larry Bird, Basketball Player




Nobody owes anybody a living, but everybody is entitled to a chance.


Jack Dempsey, Boxer




If football taught me anything about business, it is that you win the game one play at a time.
Fran Tarkenton, Football Player






My goal in sailing isn't to be brilliant or flashy in individual races, just to be consistent over the long run.


Dennis Conner, Yachtsman




Confidence is a lot of this game or any game. If you don't think you can, you won't. Jerry West, Basketball Player




Good habits are as easy to form as bad ones.


Tim McCarver, Baseball Player




I never wanted to be a millionaire. I just wanted to live like one.


Walter Hagen, Golfer




I keep both eyes on my man. The basket hasn't moved on me yet.


Julius Erving, Basketball Player




Coaches have to watch for what they don't want to see and listen to what they don't want to hear.


John Madden, Football Coach




I've always felt it was not up to anyone else to make me give my best.


Akeem Olajuwon, Basketball Player




I'm careful not to give into theatrics when times are tough, I don't like it when somebody gives into outside pressure and puts on a show for others.


Tony La Russa, Baseball Manager




I ski to win. When the day comes that I can't get myself into a fighting mood anymore, I won't be able to win and I'll stop racing.


Ingemar Stenmark, Skier




Every athlete owes a debt of gratitude to the fans and management, and pays an install-ment every time he plays. He should never miss a payment.


Bobby Hull, Hockey Player




The principle is competing against yourself. It's self improvement, about being better tha


n you were the day before.


Steve Young, Football Player




I love the challenge.


Nancy Lopez, Golfer




The man who has no imagination has no wings.


Muhammad Ali, Boxer




The person I fear most in the last two rounds is myself.


Tom Watson, Golfer




There is a kind of victory in good work, no matter how humble.


Jack Kemp, Football Player




If you have confidence, you have patience. Confidence, that is everything.


Ilie Nastase, Tennis Player




If you are prepared, you will be confident, and will do the job.


Tom Landry, Football Coach




If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.


Hershel Walker, Football Player




When you have the opportunity, you strike.


Rod Laver, Tennis Player




I don't feel any pressure ... I just try to stay calm, follow my game plan and try not to overthrow.


Dwight Gooden, Baseball Player




I became an optimist when I discovered that I wasn't going to win any more games by being anything else.


Earl Weaver, Baseball Manager




A total commitment is paramount to reaching the ultimate in performance.


Tom Flores, Football Coach




There is no such thing as natural touch. Touch is something you create by hitting millions of golf balls.


Lee Trevino, Golfer




Parents, they're strict on you when you're little, and you don't understand why. But as you get older, you understand and you appreciate it.


Grant Hill, Basketball Player




No matter what business you're in, you can't run in place or someone will pass you by. It doesn't matter how many games you've won.


Jim Valvano, Basketball Coach




Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: work.


Jack Nicklaus, Golfer




It's not whether you get knocked down. It's whether you get up.


Vince Lombardi, Football Coach




The older they get the better they were when they were younger.


Jim Bouton, Baseball Player




When you feel good about yourself, others will feel good about you, too.


Jake Steinfeld, Bodybuilder




When things go wrong, I try to sit down and analyze what I did wrong and correct it next time. Normally there's an explanation for just about everything.


Jim Palmer, Baseball Player




It doesn't matter what you're trying to accomplish. It's all a matter of discipline... I was determined to discover what life held for me beyond the inner-city streets.


Wilma Rudolph, Olympian




Any time you try to win everything, you must be willing to lose everything.


Larry Csonka, Football Player




My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me. Jim Valvano, Basketball Coach




If I were to say, "God, why me?" about the bad things, then I should have said, "God, why me?" about the good things that happened in my life.


Arthur Ashe, Tennis Player




Sports do not build character. They reveal it.


Heywood Hale Broun, Sports Commentator




I've always believed no matter how many shots I miss, I'm going to make the next one. Isaiah Thomas, Basketball Player




I always thought I could play pro ball. I had confidence in my ability. You have to. If you don't who will?


John Unitas, Football Player

When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn.


Tom Landry, Football Coach




To give yourself the best possible chance of playing to your potential, you must prepare for every eventuality. That means practice.


Seve Ballesteros, Golfer




I like to work out, and I set aside time for doing it and never let anything interfere.


Nolan Ryan, Baseball Player






How would you like a job where when you made a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?


Jacques Plante, Hockey Player




I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field. Walter Payton, Football Player




I have always felt that although someone may defeat me, and I strike out in a ball game, the pitcher on the particular day was the best player. But I know when I see him again, I'm going to be ready for his curve ball. Failure is a part of success. There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life. But failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it.


Hank Aaron, Baseball Player




As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we've been given.


Mary Lou Retton, Olympian




You don't save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow, it may rain.


Leo Durocher, Baseball Manager




Discipline is not a nasty word.


Pat Riley, Basketball Coach




Every man's got to figure to get beat sometime.


Joe Louis, Boxer




I'm trying to do the best I can. I'm not concerned with tomorrow, but with what goes on today.


Mark Spitz, Olympian




To the timid soul, nothing is possible.


John Bach, Basketball Coach




Confidence is the result of hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.
Roger Staubach, Football Player

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.
Mario Andretti, Race Car Driver

If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard. The thrill of competing carries with it the thrill of a gold medal. One wants to win to prove himself the best.
Jesse Owens, Olympian

To see a man beaten not by a better opponent but by himself is a tragedy.
Cus D'Amato, Boxing Trainer

When you win, nothing hurts.
Joe Namath, Football Player

My ability to concentrate and work toward that goal has been my greatest asset.
Jack Nicklaus, Golfer

You can tell all you need to about a society from how it treats animals and beaches. Frank DeFord, Sportswriter

I have always struggled to achieve excellence. One thing that cycling has taught me is that if you can achieve something without a struggle it's not going to be satisfying.
Greg LeMond, Cyclist

Start early and begin raising the bar throughout the day.
Bruce Jenner, Olympian

Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points.
Knute Rockne, Football Coach

Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win.
Nadia Comaneci, Olympian

It's shocking how little there is to tennis when you're just thinking about nothing except winning every point.
Andre Agassi, Tennis Player

The winning team has a dedication. It will have a core of veteran players who set the standards. They will not accept defeat.
Merlin Olsen, Football Player

Never mistake activity for achievement.
John Wooden, Basketball Coach

It (racing) is a matter of spirit, not strength. It is a matter of doing your best each little moment. There's never a break. You must have desire, a very intense desire to keep going.
Janet Guthrie, Race Car Driver

Every time you go out on the ice, there are slight flaws. You can always think of something you should have done better. These are the things you must work on.
Dorothy Hamill, Figure Skater

The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.
Vince Lombardi, Football Coach

When it's over, I want to say, "Hey, I made a pretty good run. I gave it all I had." But until that day, I'll never, ever be satisfied.
Mike Piazza, Baseball Player

If you want to achieve a high goal, you're going to have to take some chances.
Alberto Salazar, Olympian

The way that I approach my entire racing career is to do it right.
Willy T. Ribbs, Race Car Driver

Do you want to be safe and good, or do you want to take a chance and be great?
Jimmy Johnson, Football Coach

I'm like a duck: calm above the water, and paddling like hell underneath.
Fred Shero, Hockey Coach

Good putting starts with seeing the ball going into the hole before you take your stance-in fact, before you even take your putter in hand.
Dave Stockton, Golfer

Your goal should be out of reach but not out of sight.
Anita DeFrantz, Olympian

Over the years, I've had hundreds of shots blocked. You've got to go in and take chances. John Havlicek, Basketball Player

I was born to be a runner. I simply love to run. It's almost like the faster I go, the easier it becomes.
Mary Decker, Olympian

Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it's because you've started to think of failure.
Tommy Lasorda, Baseball Manager

The only way a kid is going to practice is if it's total fun for him - and it was for me. Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Player

I have a lot of respect for tough coaches.
Reggie White, Football Player

People who enjoy what they are doing invariably do it well.
Joe Gibbs, Football Coach

The pressure makes me more intense about each shot. Pressure on the last few holes makes me play better.
Nancy Lopez, Golfer

Hitting is concentration. Free your mind of everything. Study the flight of the ball from the pitcher.

Reggie Jackson, Baseball Player

Nobody remembers who finished second but the guy who finished second.
Bobby Unser, Race Car Driver

Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.
Muhammad Ali, Boxer

No one has ever drowned in sweat.
Lou Holtz, Football Coach

A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.
Larry Bird, Basketball Player

You can see a lot just by observing.
Yogi Berra, Baseball Manager

With racing, you never rest on your laurels, and there are no counterfeits.
Julie Krone, Jockey

You're the only one who can make the difference. Whatever your dream is, go for it. Magic Johnson, Basketball Player

Some people play very, very well just so they won't get embarrassed.
Lynn Swann, Football Player

An hour of practice is worth five hours of foot-dragging.
Pancho Segura, Tennis Player

I like added pressure. It makes me work harder.
Mary Lou Retton, Olympian

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

I don't compete with other discus throwers. I compete with my own history.
Al Oerter, Olympian

One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it.
Knute Rockne, Football Coach

Pressure is playing for 10 dollars when you've only got five in your pocket.
Lord Robertson, Golfer

What is the single most important quality in a tennis champion? I would have to say desire, staying in there and winning matches when you are not playing that well.
John McEnroe, Tennis Player

Winners never quit, and quitters never win.
Vince Lombardi, Football Coach

I'm in my prime. There's no goal too far, no mountain too high.
Wilma Rudolph, Olympian

Losing a game is heartbreaking. Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy. Joe Paterno, Football Coach

My attitude is never to be satisfied, never enough, never.
Bela Karolyi, Gymnastics Coach

Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.
Lou Holtz, Football Coach

It is very dangerous to have your self-worth riding on your results as an athlete.
Jim Courier, Tennis Player

You get out in front - you stay out in front.
A. J. Foyt, Race Car Driver

When you've got something to prove, there's nothing greater than a challenge.
Terry Bradshaw, Football Player

I have always maintained that the best remedy for a batting slump is two wads of cotton. One for each ear.
Bill Veeck, Baseball Player

In business or in football, it takes a lot of unspectacular preparation to produce spectacular results.
Roger Staubach, Football Player

Once you're physically capable of winning a gold medal, the rest is ninety percent mental.
Patti Johnson, Olympian

The mark of a great player is in his ability to come back. The great champions have all come back from defeat.
Sam Snead, Golfer

I know there's a Derby out there with my name on it.
Pat Day, Jockey

Always have a plan, and believe in it. Nothing happens by accident.
Chuck Knox, Football Coach

The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.
Bobby Knight, Basketball Coach

The man who can drive himself further, once the effort gets painful, is the man who will win.
Roger Bannister, Track Athlete

Part of being a champ is acting like a champ. You have to learn how to win and not run away when you lose ... Everyone has bad stretches and real successes. Either way, you have to be careful not to lose your confidence or get too confident.
Nancy Kerrigan, Olympian

It takes more than just a good looking body. You've got to have the heart and soul to go with it.
Lee Haney, Bodybuilder

Everything starts with yourself - with you making up your mind about what you're going to do with your life. I tell kids that it's a cruel world, and that the world will bend them either left or right, and it's up to them to decide which way to bend.
Tony Dorsett, Football Player

Serenity is knowing that your worst shot is still pretty good.
Johnny Miller, Golfer

Fear of failure, is probably the greatest driving force of all. I try to always be positive and the thing I try to develop most is pride. Pride in performance. Every time you step on that court, you want to do your best.
Lou Carnesecca, Basketball Coach

I always felt that I hadn't achieved what I wanted to achieve. I always felt I could get better. That's the whole incentive.
Virginia Wade, Tennis Player

The best and fastest way to learn a sport is to watch and imitate a champion. Jean-Claude Killy, Skier

You'll never get ahead of anyone as long as you try to get even with him.
Lou Holtz, Football Coach

For years, people have looked at Beamon's record as unattainable. I don't accept that. I believe the Lord has given me a talent. I know the record is inside me and I will attain it. Carl Lewis, Olympian

My main focus is on my game.
Tiger Woods, Golfer

No matter how long you have been playing, you still get butterflies before the big ones. Pee Wee Reese, Baseball Player

I don't psych myself up. I psych myself down. I think clearer when I'm not psyched up. Steve Cauthen, Jockey

When you lose a couple of times, it makes you realize how difficult it is to win.
Steffi Graf, Tennis Player

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. Vince Lombardi, Football Coach

When you've learned to shut off outside influences and believe in yourself, there's no telling how good a player you can be. That's because you have the mental edge.
Rod Carew, Baseball Player

Losing doesn't eat at me the way it used to. I just get ready for the next play the next game, the next season.
Troy Aikman, Football Player

When I was coaching, the one thought that I would try to get across to my players was that everything I do each day, everything I say, I must first think what effect it will have on everyone concerned.
Frank Layden, Basketball Coach

For every pass I caught in a game, I caught a thousand in practice.
Don Hutson, Football Player

There is a syndrome in sports called "paralysis by analysis."
Arthur Ashe, Tennis Player

Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, confidence is the key to all the locks.
Joe Paterno, Football Coach

Durability is part of what makes a great athlete.
Bill Russell, Basketball Player

Ninety percent of my game is mental. It's my concentration that has gotten me this far. Chris Evert, Tennis Player

It's how you deal with failure that determines how you achieve success.
David Feherty, Golfer

If a horse has four legs, and I'm riding it, I think I can win.
Angel Cordero, Jr., Jockey

Every great batter works on the theory that the pitcher is more afraid of him than he is of the pitcher.
Ty Cobb, Baseball Player

If you plan to win as I do, the game never ends.
Stan Mikita, Hockey Player

My dad has always taught me these words: care and share. That's why we put on clinics. The only thing I can do is try to give back.
Tiger Woods, Golfer

Good things happen to those who hustle.
Chuck Noll, Football Coach

Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you'll win. Channel your energy. Focus.
Carol Lewis, Olympian

Winning isn't everything. Wanting to win is.
Catfish Hunter, Baseball Player

There are few things that you can't do as long as you are willing to apply yourself.
Greg LeMond, Cyclist

A fighter has to know fear.
Cus D'Amato, Boxing Trainer

I found out that if you are going to win games, you had better be ready to adapt.
Scotty Bowman, Hockey Coach

I let my racket do the talking. That's what I am all about, really. I just go out and win tennis matches.
Pete Sampras, Tennis Player

Great effort springs naturally from a great attitude.
Pat Riley, Basketball Coach

The game was easy for me as a kid, and I had to play a while to find out how hard it is. Ray Floyd, Golfer

Another club can be beating you for six innings but for some reason the good ball clubs get tough and win them in the last three.
Billy Martin, Baseball Manager

I've had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven't run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can't outwork you, then smarts aren't going to do them much good. That's just the way it is. And if you believe that and live by it, you'd be surprised at how much fun you can have.
Woody Hayes, Football Coach

World records are only borrowed.
Sebastian Coe, Olympian

I've always led by example and I'm not that vocal.
Scottie Pippen, Basketball Player

A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.
Ara Parasheghian, Football Coach

As long as I can focus on enjoying what I'm doing, having fun, I know I'll play well.
Steffi Graf, Tennis Player

Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal. Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your knowledge and adding to your experience, so that you can make the most of opportunity when it occurs.
Mario Andretti, Race Car Driver

Sweat is the cologne of accomplishment.
Heywood Hale Broun, Sports Commentator

I don't think anything is unrealistic if you believe you can do it.
Mike Ditka, Football Coach

Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string.
Pele, Soccer Player

Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.
Nolan Ryan, Baseball Player

Desire! That's the one secret of every man's career. Not education. Not being born with hidden talents. Desire.
Bobby Unser, Race Car Driver

When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it.
Yogi Berra, Baseball Manager

Whoever said, "It's not whether you win or lose that counts," probably lost.
Martina Navratilova, Tennis Player

Enjoy the journey, enjoy every moment, and quit worrying about winning and losing. Matt Biondi, Olympian

A competitor will find a way to win. Competitors take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves just that much better. Quitters take bad breaks and use them as reasons to give up. It's all a matter of pride.
Nancy Lopez, Golfer

Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.
Muhammad Ali, Boxer

The moment of enlightenment is when a person's dreams of possibilities become images of probabilities.
Vic Braden, Tennis Coach

All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street, folks will say, "There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived."
Ted Williams, Baseball Player

To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will.
Sugar Ray Robinson, Boxer

Don't be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That's only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself.
Olga Korbut, Olympian

Becoming number one is easier than staying number one.
Bill Bradley, Basketball Player

Visualization lets you concentrate on all the positive aspects of your game.
Curtis Strange, Golfer

Determination that just won't quit - that's what it takes.
A. J. Foyt, Race Car Driver

If you aren't playing well, the game isn't as much fun. When that happens I tell myself just to go out and play the game as I did when I was a kid.
Tom Watson, Golfer

Failure is good. It's fertilizer. Everything I've learned about coaching, I've learned from making mistakes.
Rick Pitino, Basketball Coach

The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.
Peggy Fleming, Olympian

Winning is not everything but making the effort is.
Vince Lombardi, Football Coach

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
John Wooden, Basketball Coach

It is nothing new or original to say that golf is played one stroke at a time. But it took me many years to realize it.
Bobby Jones, Golfer

Every time you win, it diminishes the fear a little bit. You never really cancel the fear of losing; you keep challenging it.
Arthur Ashe, Tennis Player

When I'm talking to a large audience, I imagine that I'm talking to a single person.
Red Barber, Sportscaster

My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces.
Wilma Rudolph, Olympian

It ain't over till it's over.
Yogi Berra, Baseball Manager

You hit home runs not by chance, but by preparation.
Roger Maris, Baseball Player

The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it.
Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Player

The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor, Actor, Bodybuilder

Without winners, there wouldn't even be any civilization.
Woody Hayes, Football Coach

I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me.
Arnold Palmer, Golfer

The trick is to realize that after giving your best, there's nothing more to give.
Sparky Anderson, Baseball Manager

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success.
Babe Ruth, Baseball Player

When things are tough you fight one more round.
Jim Corbett, Boxer

We have a lot of players in their first year. Some of them are also in their last year.
Bill Walsh, Football Coach

I grew up to always respect authority and respect those in charge.
Grant Hill, Basketball Player

Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor, Actor, Bodybuilder

Sweat plus sacrifice equals success.
Charles Finley, Baseball Team Owner

A life of frustration is inevitable for any coach whose main enjoyment is winning.
Chuck Noll, Football Coach

Forget about style; worry about results.
Bobby Orr, Hockey Player

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

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential ... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.
Eddie Robinson, Football Coach

Setting goals for your game is an art. The trick is in setting them at the right level - neither too low nor too high. A good goal should be lofty enough to inspire hard work, yet realistic enough to provide hope of attainment.
Greg Norman, Golfer

My God given talent is my ability to stick with training longer than anybody else.
Hershel Walker, Football Player

A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.
Billie Jean King, Tennis Player

You can't beat the person who never gives up.
Babe Ruth, Baseball Player

All pressure is self-inflicted. It's what you make of it or how you let it rub off on you. Sebastian Coe, Olympian

Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.
Yogi Berra, Baseball Manager

Desire is the most important factor in the success of any athlete.
Willie Shoemaker, Jockey

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward. Vernon Law, Baseball Player

When I joined the Tour I studied the best players to see what they did that I didn't do. I came to the conclusion that the successful players had the Three Cs: Confidence, Composure, Concentration.
Bob Toski, Golfer

Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it.
Stan Smith, Tennis Player

I have always adhered to two principles. The first one is to train hard and get in the best possible physical condition. The second is to forget all about the other fellow until you face him in the ring and the bell sounds for the fight.
Rocky Marciano, Boxer

Football is a game of errors. The team that makes the fewest errors in a game usually wins.
Paul Brown, Football Coach

When someone tells me there is only one way to do things, it always lights a fire under my butt. My instant reaction is, "I'm going to prove you wrong!"
Picabo Street, Olympian

I used to get out there and have a hundred swing thoughts. Now I try not to have any. Davis Love III, Golfer

Concentration is why some athletes are better than others. You develop that concentration in training. You can't be lackluster in training and concentrate in a meet. Edwin Moses, Olympian

Whether you're winning or losing, it is important to always be yourself. You can't change because of the circumstances around you.
Cotton Fitzsimmons, Basketball Coach

Know thyself, believe in God, and dare to dream.
John Salley, Basketball Player

I'm a positive thinker. My dad would kill me if I wasn't.
Dave Stockton, Golfer

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, Olympian

When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing.
Bo Schembechler, Football Coach

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

Each year, I set out to hit at least one point higher, drive in one more run, and belt one more home run than the previous season. I always strive to be better.
Wade Boggs, Baseball Player

Success is never final, but failure can be.
Bill Parcells, Football Coach

The earth seemed to move with me ... I found a new source of power and beauty, a source I never knew exists.
Roger Bannister, Track Athlete

If you think you can do it, you can.
Eric Lindros, Hockey Player

The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer there are for a player to break.
John Madden, Football Coach

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination. Tommy Lasorda, Baseball Manager

A positive attitude can really make dreams come true - it did for me.
Zina Garrison, Tennis Player

There is nothing so uncertain as a sure thing.
Scotty Bowman, Hockey Coach

If you can react the same way to winning and losing, that's a big accomplishment. That quality is important because it stays with you the rest of your life, and there's going to be a life after tennis that's a lot longer than your tennis life.
Chris Evert, Tennis Player

I don'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 a field and be prepared to play a good game.
Tom Landry, Football Coach

If you have to remind yourself to concentrate during competition, you've got no chance to concentrate.
Bobby Nichols, Golfer

My one and only priority is the next pitch, not the no-hitter, the shutout, or even the out. Orel Hershiser, Baseball Player

I consider myself one of a very small handful of drivers in the world that are top drivers. The best one? I don't think anybody can say they're the best one because, from one week to the next, you can be on form or off form a little bit.
Nigel Mansell, Race Car Driver

This is a tough game. There are times when you've got to play hurt, when you've got to block out the pain.
Shaquille O'Neal, Basketball Player

You play the way you practice.
Pop Warner, Football Coach

You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.
Sir Edmund Hillary, Mountaineer

It was clear as day, I saw myself beating the odds, coming back to play again.
Bo Jackson, Baseball Player

Learn to think like a winner.
Vic Braden, Tennis Coach

If I play my best, I can win anywhere in the world against anybody.
Ray Floyd, Golfer

I am confident. I never give up.
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Tennis Player

It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever - the one who recognizes the challenges and does something about it.
Vince Lombardi, Football Coach

I believe that good things come to those who work.
Wilt Chamberlain, Basketball Player

Forget your opponents; always play against par.
Sam Snead, Golfer

If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.
Steve Bartkowski, Football Player

If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges.
Pat Riley, Basketball Coach.

Always keep your composure. You can't score from the penalty box; and to win, you have to score.
Bobby Hull, Hockey Player

The best time to make friends is before you need them.
Ara Parasheghian, Football Coach

Chance can allow you to accomplish a goal every once in a while, but consistent achievement happens only if you love what you are doing.
Bart Conner, Olympian

To meet my goals, I couldn't let up when I was playing tennis.
Tracy Austin, Tennis Player

The only way to get people to like working hard is to motivate them. Today, people must understand why they're working hard. Every individual in an organization is motivated by something different.
Rick Pitino, Basketball Coach

Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.
George Halas, Football Coach

It is not a dreamlike state, but the somehow insulated state, that a great musician achieves in a great performance. He's aware of where he is and what he's doing, but his mind is on the playing of the instrument with an internal sense of rightness - it is not merely mechanical, it is not only spiritual; it is something of both, on a different plane and a more remote one.
Arnold Palmer, Golfer

If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning is not very exciting.
Dick Vermeil, Basketball Coach

There are no winners, only survivors.
Frank Gifford, Football Player

To achieve anything in this game, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.
Stirling Moss, Race Car Driver

You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.
Michael Jordan, Basketball Player

The next point - that's all you must think about.
Rod Laver, Tennis Player

I've always got such high expectations for myself. I'm aware of them, but I can't relax them.
Mary Decker, Olympian