Words of Wisdom from Ali, MJ, Lance, Tiger, Kareem…

I love quotations. Ever since I was in high school, I recall tearing out and compiling every single copy of Reader’s Digest’s ‘Quotable Quotes’ that I could find. Sports quotations? My favorite. Hope you enjoy these…

“I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok.” – Shaquille O’Neal

“Whoever said, ‘It’s not whether you win or lose that counts,’ probably lost.” – Martina Navratilova

“I don’t watch movies a lot. I watch sporting events. Because you can never tell how they’re going to end.” – Michael Douglas

“If they cut my bald head open, they will find one big boxing glove. That’s all I am. I live it.” – Marvin Hagler

“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” – Muhammad Ali

“A runners creed: I will win; if I cannot win, I shall be second; if I cannot be second, I shall be third; if I cannot place at all, I shall still do my best.” – Ken Doherty

“Doctors and scientists said that breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt. Thus, when I got up from the track after collapsing at the finish line, I figured I was dead.” – Roger Bannister, after breaking the four-minute mile (1952)

“When I step onto the court, I don’t have to think about anything. If I have a problem off the court, I find that after I play, my mind is clearer and I can come up with a better solution. It’s like therapy. It relaxes me and allows me to solve problems.” – Michael Jordan

“100% of the shots you don’t take don’t go in.” – Wayne Gretzky

“Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball.” – Phil Jackson

“No, my dad was fun.” – Phil Mickelson, when asked if his dad was like Earl Woods

“I always feel pressure. If you don’t feel nervous, that means you don’t care about how you play. I care about how I perform. I’ve always said the day I’m not nervous playing is the day I quit.” – Tiger Woods

“You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.” – Arthur Ashe

“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

“Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.” – Lou Holtz

“You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” – John Wooden

“Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We.” – Phil Jackson

“The key is not the “will to win” . . . everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” – Bob Knight

“How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal, and you have to be willing to work for it.’ – Jim Valvano

“Boxing is the ultimate challenge. There’s nothing that can compare to testing yourself the way you do every time you step in the ring.” – Sugar Ray Leonard

“You can make a lot of money in this game. Just ask my ex-wives. Both of them are so rich that neither of their husbands work.” – Lee Trevino

“The 5 Ss of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.” – Ken Doherty

“Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.” – Mike Ditka

“Show me a man who never failed and I’ll show you a man who never tried anything hard enough.” – Allen Waimsley

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence.” – Vince Lombardi

“I’m scared every time I go into the ring, but it’s how you handle it. What you have to do is plant your feet, bite down on your mouthpiece and say, ‘Let’s go.’” – Mike Tyson