A selection of famous quotes and reflections with which to optimize our performance.
Many have been the athletes who have had some motivational crisis. And just as these athletes have been able to overcome these phases, they have left us great phrases that can help us regain control of our motivation.
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Sports phrases to recover and maintain motivation
We have selected a series of phrases that can help any of us find that extra motivation that we may need in our day-to-day sports.
That is why we have thought it convenient to make a compilation of the 90 most motivating sports phrases to give the maximum of ourselves that we will surely need at some point.
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1. You have to expect things of yourself, before you can do them. (Michael Jordan)
We must have confidence in ourselves to be able to perform great deeds.
2. There may be people who are more talented than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you. (Derek Jeter)
Work is as important as our talent, we must work hard to achieve our goals.
3. You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the more you drift away. (Michael Phelps)
We must not limit ourselves, we must go as far as possible. Who knows where we will arrive?
4. As long as we persevere and resist, we can get everything we want (Mike Tyson)
Great quote from Mike Tyson that encourages us to persevere in life as well as in sports, without a doubt a great lesson.
5. He who is not brave enough to take risks will not achieve anything in life. (Muhammad Ali)
In order to achieve our goals we must be brave and risk losing if necessary.
6. The fight is won or lost away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym, on the road, away from where I dance under those lights. (Muhammad Ali)
The work behind any achievement is what will have led us to it and what holds more value, not the simple achievement itself.
7. To be number one, you have to train like you’re number two. (Maurice Green)
The hunger for victory is in sports what often helps us achieve achievements, we must desire it with all our being.
8. Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live. (Jim Ron)
Taking care of our body is taking care of ourselves, it will improve our quality of life.
9. Keeping our body in good health is a must. Otherwise we will not be able to keep our minds strong and clear. (Buddha)
Great quote from Buddha that encourages us to take care of ourselves physically, as it is also indirectly beneficial for our mind.
10. Each training must be intense, looking for your limits. If you don’t find your limits, don’t expect to improve. (ArnoldSchwarzenegger)
Taking our body to the limit will help us achieve the highest goals in the sport we practice.
11. Success is not an accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, study, sacrifice and, above all, love for what you are doing or learning to do. (Pele)
Effortless victory does not exist, hard work and dedication will take us to it.
12. Success without honor is the greatest failure. (Vicente del Bosque)
Achieving success and not being respectful to others makes us a moral loser.
13. Have you understood? I ask, have you understood? Yes? Well, this, this (hitting the blackboard), is worth nothing. What counts is that you guys are better and that I’m up to the h***s to lose with these, in this field. You are Atlético de Madrid and there are 50,000 inside who are going to die for you. For them, for the shirt, for their pride, you have to go out and say on the field that there is only one champion and he wears red and white. In the speech prior to the 1992 Cup final. (Luis Aragonés)
A very inspiring speech by Luis Aragonés, without a doubt he was a great coach and a better person.
14. I follow a phrase from my friend Nelson Vivas: only success comes before work in the dictionary. (Diego Pablo Simeon)
In this quote, Simeone cites Nelson Vivas who wrote this great truth, certainly work is the main cause of subsequent success.
15. Every season is a new challenge for me, and I always set out to improve in terms of games, goals and assists. (Cristiano Ronaldo)
Even Cristiano can get overwhelmed by the pressure he is under, but his motivation knows no bounds.
16. Once I cried because I didn’t have soccer shoes, but one day, I met a man who had no feet. (Zinedine Zidane)
Thinking that the other has it easier than you is a mistake that we can make, the only rival that we must beat is ourselves.
17. We go game by game. (Diego Pablo Simeon)
Famous quote by Simeone that has become a widely used benchmark at Atlético de Madrid.
18. The finals are not played, they are won. (Luis Aragones)
When we manage to reach a final, we only have to give our best to achieve glory in our sport.
19. Soccer is a game of mistakes. Whoever makes the least mistake wins. (Johan Cruyff)
Undoubtedly in any sport our victory is also conditioned by the performance of our rival, we must be our best version.
20. There are no young or old players; there are good ones and there are bad ones. (Santiago Bernabeu)
Age doesn’t matter in sport, what matters is how well we can perform regardless of our age.
21. A champion is someone who gets up when others can’t. (Jack Dempsey)
To be a champion we must never give up, never give up until we achieve victory. One of the best-known motivating phrases of sport.
22. Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through difficulties and decide not to give up, that is strength. (ArnoldSchwarzenegger)
Real strength, as the great Arnold says, lies in our ability to never give up.
23. Remember this: your body is your slave. Work for you, not you for him. (Jack LaLanne)
We must learn to control our body, the correct use of it will take us far in sport.
24. Those who think they don’t have time to exercise will sooner or later find time to be sick. (Edward Stanley)
Sport is health and it is life, this will provide us with a better quality of life for more years.
25. Without suffering there is no happiness. I have learned to enjoy suffering. (Rafael Nadal)
Accepting work or suffering as part of our sport will help us know how to enjoy and value it, it will be what will lead us to fulfill our objective.
26. I never worry about the problem. I am worried about the solution. (Shaquille O’Neal)
Looking for the way out is what will make us move forward in life, not dwelling on a problem without thinking about its possible solution, rejoicing in our complacency.
27. What would have happened if I hadn’t tried? (Valentino Rossi)
We will never know what our limits are until we test them, we must be bold.
28. I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I am successful. (Michael Jordan)
Learning from our mistakes will be what will make us better people and athletes.
29. Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is. (VinceLombardi)
We must want to win with great intensity in order to achieve victory, if we do not want it strongly we will never achieve it.
30. Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion. (Michael Jordan)
Our limits are usually only within our mind, we should not put psychological barriers, we must cross them.
31. The only way to prove that you are a good athlete is to lose. (Ernie Banks)
We can all lose at any given time, no one is invincible, the key is knowing how to recover as soon as possible.
32. When you’re riding, only the race you’re riding is important. (Bill Shoemaker)
We must focus on the moment of execution of our activity to develop it perfectly.
33. I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability. (Bruce Jenner)
Our mind is what will take our body to the next level, if we are not mentally prepared we will not achieve it.
34. To be number one you have to have a passion for running. Love the morning, love the road, love the rhythm on the track. (Pat Tyson)
Loving the sport we do is what will take us to the top, we must enjoy the sport.
35. You have to do something in your life that is honorable and not cowardly if you want to live in peace with yourself. (Larry Brown)
We must act honestly and always play fair in whatever sport we play.
36. Baseball is the only field in which a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good player. (Ted Williams)
A very good quote that tells us about the peculiarities of baseball and its style of play.
37. The five areas of sports training are: endurance, speed, strength, skill and spirit; but the greatest of these is the spirit. (Ken Doherty)
Indeed we have to put all our spirit into the game to be able to give our best version.
38. Somewhere behind the athlete you have become and the hours of practice and coaches who have pushed you, there is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her. (Mia Ham)
In elite sport, it is usual to start from a very young age and merely for the love of that sport, that is when we come to have purer values about it.
39. When you have something to prove, there is nothing bigger than a challenge. (Terry Bradshaw)
The challenges that life presents us as well as in sport are the opportunities we have to show who we are.
40. Perseverance can transform failure into extraordinary achievement. (Marv Levy)
How hard we fight to achieve something after failing is what can take us to the top.
41. Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your two ears. (LairdHamilton)
Our mind is the one that can play very bad tricks on us in the world of sports, because this is what propels us to the top or can make us fall in the same way.
42. I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them lose the ball and started trying to make them hit it. (Sandy Kufax)
Sometimes developing our own style of play can help us bring out the player in us.
43. Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play. (Mike Singletary)
We must enjoy the sport for the very practice of it, if you do not enjoy it, you better retire.
44. Good is not good when something better is expected. (Vin Scully)
Our ambition can lead us not to enjoy the moment, we must not fall into an uncontrolled ambition. One of the motivational phrases that drives us towards success.
45. Champions keep playing until they get it right. (Billie Jean King)
Never giving up is what makes us champions or losers, our willpower.
46. What you lack in talent can be made up for in desire, movement, and giving 110 percent all the time. (Don Zimmer)
We may not be the best in our sport, but if we try harder than the one who is better, we will win.
47. How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine who you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser. (LouHoltz)
We must always give our best, until the last minute, because even if we lose we will know that we have given our best and that we do not regret it.
48. At first compete against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before. (SteveYoung)
We always compete against ourselves, even the best in his discipline, his goal is to surpass himself, to find our own limits.
49. What makes something special is not what can be gained, but what can be lost. (André Agassi)
There are extreme sports in which our life can be in danger in their practice, and that makes them very special sports, the tennis player Andre Agassi valued it.
50. A man can be a crucial ingredient in a team, but a man cannot make a team. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)
Team sports can never be won by one man, as he will always be outmatched anyway.
51. Stubbornness is generally considered a negative thing; but I think that trait has been positive for me. (Cal Ripken Jr.)
Being stubborn is also a sign of perseverance, and that quality in sports can be very beneficial.
52. When you win, say nothing, when you lose, say less. (PaulBrown)
How we act in our victories or defeats says a lot about us and our personality.
53. When I go out, I have no mercy for my brother. I am there to win. (Joe Frazier)
In boxing our conviction and focus are two crucial things, the great Joe Frazier knew that very well.
54. Leadership is like coaching, fight for the hearts and souls of men and make them believe in you. (EddieRobinson)
Leading a team in any sport is something that is extremely difficult and being able to do it well denotes a great capacity for persuasion on our part.
55. Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you. (Arnold Palmer)
Always giving the best of ourselves is what we must do when we carry out any action, both in daily life and in sports.
56. To discover your true potential, you must first find your own limits and then you must have the courage to overcome them. (Picabo Street)
Overcoming our limits should be the goal of every serious athlete, our biggest rival is ourselves.
57. You can motivate by fear and you can motivate by reward. But both methods are only temporary. The only thing that lasts is self-motivation. (Homer Rice)
We must find our personal motivation in one way or another, without it we will not give one hundred percent in what we do.
58. I don’t believe in team motivation. I believe in preparing a team so that they know that when they get on the field they will be confident enough and ready to play a good game. (Tom Landry)
When we know that the job is done, all we have to do is go out on the pitch and enjoy the game.
59. Your biggest opponent is not the other person. He is human nature. (Bobby Knight)
A quote that tells us about our physical and mental limitations, which are our biggest rival to beat.
60. If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it. (RonnieLott)
We will achieve something extraordinary when we are mentally prepared for it.
61. If you don’t have confidence, you will always find a way not to win. (Carl Lewis)
Lack of confidence will undoubtedly lead us to suffer an early defeat.
62. Make each day your masterpiece. (John Wooden)
Our daily effort is what will shape us into the athlete that we will become.
63. Win if you can, lose if you must, but never quit! (Cameron Trammell)
Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn, but we must never give up.
64. What to do when you make a mistake? Recognize it, admit it, learn from it and forget it. (DeanSmith)
Our mistakes can be our allies of tomorrow if we learn from them.
65. If you don’t go to the end, why go? (Joe Namath)
Try your hardest or don’t try at all, doing things halfway will get us nowhere. This motivational phrase in sports can help us to be better.
66. Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do. (John Wooden)
We must not obsess over our weaknesses, we must find our strengths and enhance them.
67. Wisdom always has an advantage over strength. (Phill Jackson)
The knowledge we acquire will be very valuable to us in everything we do, including in sports.
68. Adversity makes some men break; others to break records. (William A. Ward)
When we face adversity is when we show the person we really are.
69. Some say I have a bad attitude…maybe I do…but I think you do too. You have to believe in yourself when no one else believes in you…and that’s exactly what makes you a winner. (Venus-Williams)
Having faith in ourselves will be what will lead us to achieve what we want, we must trust in our abilities.
70. I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t give up. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion. (Muhammad Ali)
A great quote from the well-known Muhammad Ali, without a doubt a benchmark in the world of sports and beyond.
71. A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t. (Jack Dempsey)
A champion’s strength is measured by his determination, his ability not to be defeated.
72. You will never be a loser until you stop trying. (Mike Ditka)
When we surrender is really when we ourselves accept defeat and internalize it.
73. Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to success. (Jim Valvano)
We must overcome adversity, fight and move on. In the end we will achieve success.
74. Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard. (Tim Notke)
Constant work will take us further than any talent we may have.
75. Just be patient. Let the game come to you. Do not rush. Be quick, but don’t rush. (Earl Monroe)
We must find our rhythm of the game and know how to make it suit us.
76. A champion is someone who is not satisfied with that day’s training, that day’s competition, that day’s performance. They always strive to be better. They do not live in the past. (Brianna Scurry)
To become a champion, the struggle for self-improvement must be constant throughout our sports career.
77. Winning is not everything, but it beats everything that comes second. (Paul Bryant)
We must want to win in order to achieve victory, we must not settle for being second.
78. At a young age winning is not the most important thing… the important thing is the development of creative and skillful players, with good confidence. (Arsen Wenger)
In our childhood, the important thing is to promote sports, not to promote victories, because these can lead us to early disappointment.
79. It’s not over until it’s over. (Yogi Berra)
Until the last second of the game it must be fought tooth and nail, a victory is never certain until you actually achieve it.
80. There are only two options regarding compromise. You are in or you are out. There is no life in between. (Pat Riley)
We must commit ourselves to what we want the most, put all our desire and our illusion.
81. It is not the size of a man, but the size of his heart that matters. (Evander Holyfield)
Our heart and guts can take us further than the most imposing physique.
82. Never let your head look down. Never give up and sit and cry. Find another way. And don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines. (SatchelPaige)
We must fight to improve ourselves, find our motivation and go for it all.
83. The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital. (Joe Paterno)
How we prepare will be what will unequivocally lead us to achieve our goals.
84. Pain is temporary, it can last a minute, an hour, a day, or a year, but in the end it will end and something else will take its place. However, if I give up that pain will be forever. (Lance Armstrong)
When we give up, the emotional damage we can feel can be greater than any physical pain.
85. I always want more. Whether it’s a goal or winning a game, I’m never satisfied. (Lionel Messi)
Even the best soccer player in the world must always strive to be better than he was yesterday.
86. Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period. (LouHoltz)
If we are not able to be disciplined in our sport we will never achieve glory.
87. You can be as virtuous as you want, but you are nothing without your team. (Zinedine Zidane)
Zidane knew very well that football is a team game and these are the ones that win games.
88. If you train hard, you will not only be tough, you will be hard to beat. (Herschel Walker)
How we train shapes us as champions, because it helps us not to be defeated and that is how a competition is won.
89. You will find that you have peace of mind and will be able to enjoy yourself, sleep more and rest when you know that what you gave was a hundred percent effort – win or lose. (Gordie Howe)
When we give our best even when defeated, we will be able to sleep well at night, because we will know that our rival was a worthy winner.
90. Show me a guy who is afraid of losing face, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time. (Lou Brock)
Our fears and our doubts are what will lead us to be defeated, we must trust ourselves, be more courageous.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.