Motivational Quotes for Athletes

Every athlete thrives off of motivation. Whether it comes from coaches, teammates, or parents, the willingness to make sacrifices and work hard is almost always the difference between a good player and a truly great player. With that in mind, the following is a list of quotes left behind by some of sport's icons that can surely serve as a source of motivation for athletes both in their sport as well as in life in general.

Inspirational Quotes for Athletes about Perseverance

1. "Champions keep playing until they get it right." -Billie Jean King

2. "Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you." -Arnold Palmer

3. "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

4. "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

5. "I have failed over & over again in my life and that is why I succeed." -Michael Jordan

6. "It's hard to beat a person who never gives up." -Babe Ruth

7. "Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit." -Vince Lombardi

8. "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

Quotes for Athletes about Winning

1. "A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning." -Pat Riley

2. "Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in awhile, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing." -Vince Lombardi

3. "Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." -Vince Lombardi

4. "A champion is someone who does not settle for that day's practice, that day's competition, that day's performance. They are always striving to be better. They don't live in the past." -Briana Scurry

5. "Winning isn't everything, but it beats anything that comes in second." -Paul Bryant

6. "You can't win unless you learn how to lose." -Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Quotes for Athletes about Hard Work

1. "If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat." -Herschel Walker

2. "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." -Tim Notke

3. "Push yourself again and again. Don't give an inch until the final buzzer sounds." -Larry Bird

4. "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

5. "You might not be able to outthink, out market or outspend your competition, but you can outwork them." -Lou Holtz

Quotes for Athletes about Mental Toughness

1. "Most talent players don't always succeed. Some don't even make the team. It's more what's inside." -Brett Farve

2. "Competitive sports are played mainly on a five-and-a-half inch court, the space between your ears." -Bobby Jones

3. "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records." -William A. Ward

4. "The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning." -Pele

5. "It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters." -Evander Holyfield