Some mornings, you lace up your shoes and everything feels heavy. Your legs, your mood, your motivation – all of it. Those are the mornings that define you.
Athletes know this better than anyone. They’ve been bruised, cut from teams, told they weren’t fast enough or strong enough. And they kept going anyway. The words they’ve left behind carry that weight – and that fire.
So whether you’re pushing through a tough workout, grinding at a new career, or just trying to get through the week, these quotes might be exactly what you need right now.
Inspirational Quotes from Athletes
Here are 100 powerful quotes from athletes across every era and sport – each one sharp enough to stick with you and short enough to share as a text, status update, or daily reminder.
Message 1
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
Message 2
“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi
Message 3
“The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” – Pelé
Message 4
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
Message 5
“Hard days are the best because that’s where champions are made.” – Gabby Douglas
Message 6
“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
Message 7
“The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose.” – Ernie Banks
Message 8
“Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson
Message 9
“You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” – Michael Phelps
Message 10
“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
Message 11
“Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.” – Marv Levy
Message 12
“It ain’t over till it’s over.” – Yogi Berra
Message 13
“Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.” – Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Message 14
“The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before.” – Steve Young
Message 15
“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
Message 16
“Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.” – Shaquille O’Neal
Message 17
“What makes something special is not doing it for a year – it’s doing it for two or three years.” – LeBron James
Message 18
“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” – Mike Singletary
Message 19
“I’ve learned that something constructive comes from every defeat.” – Tom Landry
Message 20
“Without self-discipline, success is impossible. Period.” – Lou Holtz
Message 21
“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” – Jerry Rice
Message 22
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” – Muhammad Ali
Message 23
“A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.” – Jack Dempsey
Message 24
“You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” – Michael Phelps
Message 25
“One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Message 26
“I don’t count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting because those are the only ones that count.” – Muhammad Ali
Message 27
“If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.” – Ronnie Lott
Message 28
“The best competition I have is against myself to become better.” – John Wooden
Message 29
“Most people give up right before the big break comes – don’t let that person be you.” – Michael Boyle
Message 30
“Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” – Laird Hamilton
Message 31
“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Message 32
“I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability.” – Bruce Jenner
Message 33
“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong
Message 34
“If at first you don’t succeed, you’re running about average.” – M.H. Alderson
Message 35
“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
Message 36
“The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day.” – Wayne Gretzky
Message 37
“You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours.” – Herb Brooks
Message 38
“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” – Heywood Broun
Message 39
“If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?” – Joe Namath
Message 40
“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
Message 41
“The secret is not in your hands or your eyes or your arm. The secret is in your heart.” – Nolan Ryan
Message 42
“Stubbornness usually is considered a negative, but I think that trait has been a positive for me.” – Cal Ripken Jr.
Message 43
“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” – Babe Ruth
Message 44
“I think that the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Message 45
“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” – Dan Gable
Message 46
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan
Message 47
“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
Message 48
“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become, the hours of practice, and the coaches who pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back. Play for her.” – Mia Hamm
Message 49
“The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.” – Les Brown
Message 50
“Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.” – Lou Brock
Message 51
“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” – George Halas
Message 52
“When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.” – Terry Bradshaw
Message 53
“If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.” – Carl Lewis
Message 54
“Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose.” – Wilma Rudolph
Message 55
“The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t win’ is you and you don’t have to listen.” – Jessica Ennis-Hill
Message 56
“I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.” – Michael Jordan
Message 57
“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to releasing your potential.” – Liane Cardes
Message 58
“You’re never a loser until you quit trying.” – Mike Ditka
Message 59
“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 Aaron
Message 60
“I always tell kids, you have two eyes and one mouth. Keep two open and one closed. You’ll learn a lot.” – Bobby Knight
Message 61
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda
Message 62
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
Message 63
“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must – but never give up.” – Dean Karnazes
Message 64
“It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters.” – Evander Holyfield
Message 65
“I think sometimes it’s good to go back to the basics because we tend to overcomplicate things.” – Serena Williams
Message 66
“Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.” – A.C. Green
Message 67
“Most talented players don’t always succeed. Some don’t even make the team. It’s the players with the most dedication and love who are the real game changers.” – Neymar
Message 68
“A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.” – Mary Lou Retton
Message 69
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King
Message 70
“Success isn’t given. It’s earned – on the track, on the field, in the gym. With blood, sweat, and the occasional tear.” – Usain Bolt
Message 71
“I think fear sometimes comes from a lack of focus or concentration.” – Tom Kite
Message 72
“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
Message 73
“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
Message 74
“Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.” – Larry Bird
Message 75
“Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.” – Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone)
Message 76
“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
Message 77
“I was told I was too small, too skinny, too slow. Those people aren’t talking anymore.” – Derrick Rose
Message 78
“You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Message 79
“Victory is in having done your best. If you’ve done your best, you’ve won.” – Bill Bowerman
Message 80
“Character, not circumstances, makes the person.” – Booker T. Washington, often quoted by coaches everywhere
Message 81
“The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.” – Joe Paterno
Message 82
“It’s all about the journey, not the outcome.” – Carl Lewis
Message 83
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
Message 84
“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.” – Arnold Palmer
Message 85
“If you train hard, you’ll be hard to beat.” – Herschel Walker
Message 86
“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” – Walter Bagehot, a favorite among athletes
Message 87
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” – Babe Ruth
Message 88
“The only thing that stands between a person and what they want from life is the will to try it and the faith to believe it’s possible.” – Rich DeVos
Message 89
“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.” – Muhammad Ali
Message 90
“Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.” – Arnold Palmer
Message 91
“The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit – but the greatest of these is spirit.” – Ken Doherty
Message 92
“I never left the field saying I could have done more to get ready, and that gives me peace of mind.” – Peyton Manning
Message 93
“Good is not enough if better is possible.” – Simone Biles
Message 94
“What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110% all the time.” – Don Zimmer
Message 95
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – A favorite of coaches and athletes alike
Message 96
“When the grass is cut, the snakes will show. Adversity reveals character.” – Patrick Peterson
Message 97
“Being the best at something is a very fragile thing. It only lasts if you keep working at it.” – Rafael Nadal
Message 98
“Great moments are born from great opportunity.” – Herb Brooks
Message 99
“Sometimes you have to get knocked down lower than you’ve ever been to stand up taller than you ever were.” – Unknown, widely shared by athletes
Message 100
“Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.” – Often attributed to various coaches and athletes across every sport
Wrapping Up
These words hit differently depending on where you are in life. Some will feel like a pep talk. Others will feel like a punch in the gut – the good kind, the kind that wakes you up.
Save the ones that speak to you. Screenshot them, text them to a friend, stick one on your bathroom mirror. Words carry energy, and the right quote at the right moment can shift everything.
That first step? It’s always the hardest. But every athlete on this list took it – and so can you.