Random Quotes

First say to yourself what you would be;
and then do what you have to do.
- Epictetus




Winners make goals, losers make excuses
- Unknown


The trouble with jogging is that by the time you realize you're not in shape for it,

it's too far to walk back. - Franklin Jones

A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever. - Mary Lou Retton


People do not lack strength; they lack will - Victor Hugo

The only one who can tell you 'you can't' is you. And you don't have to listen - Nike

The greatest test of courage on the earth is to bear defeat without losing heart - Ingersoll

If you can't win, make the fellow ahead of you break the record
- Unknown

A winner is a loser who was willing to fail and get up, fail and get up, fail and get up, fail and get up and win - Peter Zafra



It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up
- Vince Lombardi

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did
- Newt Gingrich



Some people dream of success while others wake up and achieve it
- Unknown

Winning isn't everything. Wanting to is
- Unknown

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. -  Michael Jordan



The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.

Orison Swett Marden



Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.                 Orison Swett Marden



Resolve that whatever you do, you will bring the whole man to it; that you will fling the whole weight of your being into it. - Orison Swett Marden

We fail to see that we can control our own destiny; make ourselves do whatever is possible; make ourselves become whatever we long to be. -  Orison Swett Marden

I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle -- victorious. - - Vince Lombardi



The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. -  Vince Lombardi



A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done. - Vince Lombardi



The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. - Vince Lombardi

"If what you did yesterday still looks big to you today, then you must not have done anything today."
---Unknown



"The race isn't over until you cross the finish line. You'll be surprised at how much can change in the last twenty strides." ---Jackie Dugall



"Training is what you are doing while your opponent is sleeping in." ---Brian Owen

"Never underestimate the heart of a champion." ---Rudy Tomjanovich



"What I've learned in my years as a competitive wheelchair athlete is this--what separates a winner from the rest of the pack is not raw talent or physical ability; instead, it is the drive and dedication to work hard every single day, and the heart to go after your dream, no matter how unattainable others think it is." ---Linda Mastandrea



"The glory of sport comes from dedication, determination and desire. Achieving success and personal glory in athletics has less to do with wins and losses than it does with learning how to prepare yourself so that at the end of the day, whether on the track or in the office, you know that there was nothing more you could have done to reach your ultimate goal." ---Jackie Joyner-Kersee



"Win or lose you will never regret working hard, making sacrifices, being disciplined or focusing too much. Success is measured by what we have done to prepare for competition." ---John Smith



"Every time you compete, try harder to improve on your last performance. Give nothing short of your very best effort." ---Elgin Baylor



"Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the keys to my destiny." ---Elain Maxwell



"When anyone tells me I can't do anything...I'm just not listening anymore."
---Florence Griffith-Joyner



"All of us get knocked down, but it's resiliency that really matters. All of us do well when things are going well, but the thing that distinguishes athletes is the ability to do well in times of great stress, urgency and pressure." ---Roger Staubach

I was told over and over again that I would never be successful, that I was not going to be competitive and the technique was simply not going to work. All I could do was shrug and say 'We'll just have to see'.  --Dick Fosbury (won an Olympic gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Games after he invented a revolutionary high-jump technique.)

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

The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital. -Joe Paterno

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a mans determination
-Tommy Lasorda

A ship in the harbor is safe. But that's not what ships are built for. -Anonymous


The best inspiration is not to outdo others, but to outdo ourselves. -Anonymous


Think big, believe big, act big, and the results will be big. -Anonymous

If you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won your race. Your goal can be to come in first, to improve your performance, or just finish the race its up to you.
-Dave Scott, Triathlete



Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. -Samuel Johnson

The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before. -Steve Young


But the fact is that I wouldn't have won even a single Tour de France without the lesson of illness. What it teaches is this: pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.

Lance Armstrong - "Every Second Counts"





It's not where you start, but where you finish.

April Heinrichs - Coach of the U.S. women's national soccer team

To be successful in anything , a person must always want to be better, not only than your opponent, but better than your last performance.  Done correctly, being competitive is a wonderful way to always try to be a better person by learning from your mistakes and capitalizing on you successes

Hale Irwin

My mom would never let us quit.  She always taught us the importance of sticking with it, even when times are tough.  We didn't just hear her, we watched her.  I know what to do because she led the way.  She showed us that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish the world.  No matter where you're from and what you 're up against.

Theo Ratliff - All-star center for the NBA Atlanta Hawks



Twenty seconds before a race, there's absolute focus.  The key thing is to achieve relaxation, but at the same to have absolute total control. You've got to find the balance between being totally ready to go and being really at peace with yourself as well.

Cathy Freeman - Australian gold medalist in 400-meters in 2000 Olympics



A true champion knows how to overcome doubts and manage those doubts and turn them into motivation.

Misty Hyman - Olympic gold medalist in 200-meter butterfly at 2000 Sydney Games



You've got to believe you can win.  But I believe respect for the fact that you can lose is what you always have to keep in your mind so that nothing surprises you.

Andre Agassi - Winner of all four tennis Grand Slams



When others think you can’t ---- You Believe!
When you get down------ You Believe!
When you are taking on water trying to conquer the swim -----You Believe!
When you are trying to make that first milestone jogging and your lungs are about to explode ---- You Believe!
When your legs are burning and you just don’t want to pedal your bike any more --- You Believe!
When you don’t want to get out of bed on a cold rain drenched morning --- You Believe!
When you feel like you are making no progress --- You Believe!
Bottom line --- You Believe!


Michael Pate- Author and Clydesdale Triathlete

I never wanted to be one of those people who looks back and says, "I wonder if . . ."  If  I have a goal, I'll go out and set forth to achieve it.  When something is your passion, it becomes everything.  You put everything into it without hesitation. No questions. No doubts. Nothing to stop you.

Kim Fitchen - Cross-country runner and member of three U.S. World relay teams who never seriously ran or competed until she was twenty-five years old



The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that precedes the victory.  

Karen Bliss Livingston – Elite road racer, captain of the Saturn cycling team



 The key is that I control my life: my life doesn't control me.

Gabrielle Reece -  Pro beach volley ball player

My mind is my biggest asset.  I expect to win every tournament I play.

Tiger Woods



 I am a winner. I just didn't win today.

Greg Norman - Two-time British Open Champion

I'd rather have more heart than talent any day.

Allen Iverson 2001 NBA MVP of the Philadelphia 76ers

A winner will find a way to win. Winners take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves to be that much better. Quitters take bad breaks and use them as a reason to give up.  It's all a matter of pride.

Nancy Lopez LPGA Hall of Fame member

I Believe I'm one of the best pitchers in the world - I know I am as far as results go.  But you can't live on your legacy.  Every time I step on the mound I have to prove it.


Michele Smith - U.S. Olympic softball team pitcher in 96 and 2000



If my dreams can happen to me, your dreams can happen to you.  Champions are not made on the track or field; champions are made by the things you accomplish and the way you use your abilities in everyday life situations.



Bob Beamon Former world-record long jumper and track coach at Florida Atlantic University



It's important to  know that at the end of the day it's not the medals you remember.  What you remember is the process-- what you learn about yourself by challenging yourself, the experiences you share with other people, the honesty the training demands -- those are things nobody can take away from you whether you finish twelfth or you're an Olympic Champion.

Silken Laumann - Canadian Olympian who overcame injury to win a bronze and a silver medal in single sculls rowing in 1992 and 1996 respectively.