Inspirational Sports Quotes

Sport can be inspirational, and sportsmen and women have provided some of the most memorable and meaningful quotes. Here is a collection; some are motivational, or funny, others are displays of sportsmanship, and many of them convey messages that go beyond sport, and apply to life in general.

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

"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass." - Brian Clough

"Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it." - George Halas

"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

"You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out, but you gotta suit up for them all."
- J. Askenberg

"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up" - Vince Lombardi

“A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.” - Ara Parseghian

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

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

"Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

"Losers quit when they're tired. Winners quit when they've won."

"Rome wasn't built in a day but I wasn't on that particular job." - Brian Clough

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed" - Michael Jordan

"If I walked on water, my accusers would say it is because I can't swim." - Berti Vogts

"Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates." - Magic Johnson

"You only ever grow as a human being if you're outside your comfort zone."
- Percy Cerutty

"You're never a loser until you quit." - Mike Ditka

"One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it" - Knute Rockne

"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

"Golf is a good walk spoiled" - Mark Twain

"Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding." - Jim Valvano

"Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can't tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way." - Jim Courier