Athletes can be the greatest motivational speakers. And very trustworthy, too: as they have real achievements to back up their words, they sound really convincing. Moreover, since sports is usually a great metaphor for life itself, an inspirational sports quote can always come in handy.
College life resembles a sports competition more than anything else, with all its rigorous studying, the desire to succeed at the exams, and craving for a reward.
Surely, there are things that can make a student’s life easier – like Studyfy, a student help website containing tons of useful info: blog articles, guides, essay samples, etc. Busy students can also find things like an
essay edit service, homework and tutoring help very interesting. But sometimes you just need some wise words to get you through the day.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of seven motivational sports quotes from the world’s greatest athletes and sports coaches – one for each day of the week.
Featuring quotes by:
- Michael Jordan
- Muhammad Ali
- Mark Spitz
- Billie Jean King, and more.
Enjoy!
1. “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
This is one of the most famous sport quotes ever. In full, it goes like this: “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, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, said that in “Failure”, a Nike TV commercial released in 1997. Its meaning is transparent: you cannot succeed every time you do something, but the more you fail, the more experience you gain – and that ensures that you will eventually succeed.
2. “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.” – Mark Spitz
Mark Spitz is a nine-time Olympic champion swimmer. 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich were the pinpoint of his success, bringing him seven gold medals and an equal number of world records. After retiring, he turned to real-estate investment, swimming pool design, and motivational speaking.
The quote, however, probably didn’t originate from Spitz himself and is very likely a paraphrasing of several similar quotes. But that only proves the truth in the statement. In relation to college life, it can obviously be applied to exams and be translated as “if you don’t get
prepared, don’t expect high grades”.
3. “Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.” – Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz’s career was closely tied to college: a former football player, he gained recognition as a college football coach. He joined ESPN in the mid-nineties and became a college football analyst, and later, in 2008, was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
So, obviously, the guy knew exactly what he was talking about: having trained so many college teams, he probably saw a lot of undisciplined students who eventually failed just because of their lack of discipline. Needless to say, the quote also applies to every other aspect of academic life.
4. “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
Everyone knows Muhammad Ali – boxer, activist, philanthropist, poet, entertainer. He’s considered to be one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century and is admired for both his sports achievements and personal traits.
You might have thought that he thoroughly enjoyed everything he did – otherwise, how could he have succeeded? However, the boxing legend confessed in his 2013 tweet that he hated training – nevertheless, he suffered for the sake of future victory. You see: sometimes pain is the essential component of success.
5. “Athletes have a certain stubbornness that carries us through and makes us do things that people say we can’t do”. – Kim Clijsters
Another key component of success is stubbornness, according to Belgian tennis star Kim Clijsters. Kim was the first Belgian tennis player to win the No. 1 ranking, and, later, the first mother to attain No. 1 by WTA as she renewed her career after maternity leave. She also won six Grand Slam titles.
There’s yet another famous sports quote about stubbornness – by baseball player Cal Ripken Jr. “Stubbornness, – he said, – usually is considered a negative, but I think that trait has been a positive for me.” So, don’t be afraid to be stubborn when it comes to reaching your (academic) goals.
6. “When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.” – Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw may be better known today as a TV personality, but back in the days, he was a prominent football player, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. Aside from sports, and TV, he also has various other undertakings like singing and acting.
In short, the man always knew how to enjoy whatever he did – maybe, because he always had something to prove. This attitude can help a lot in college life, too. Take essays: why think of one as a daunting task when you may regard it as an opportunity to share your ideas instead? The
challenge is to make them clear!
7. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King
A perfect quote from American tennis legend Billie Jean King can lift one’s spirits instantly in practically any situation. King won a staggering 39 Grand Slam titles throughout her long sports career and is one of the most titled tennis players ever – it would take a whole new article if we were to list her achievements.
This quote by her is ubiquitous: coaches use it, marketers use it, feminists use it – and it’s always relevant. In your college life, it can serve to remind you that you shouldn’t give up until you’ve achieved your
goals, whatever they may be.
Afterword
Did you like these motivational sports quotes? If so, you can print them out, make a collage, and hang it on the wall. Then, when you stare at the wall in despair from feeling too overwhelmed, you’d see something there that would keep you going.
