Inspirational Sports Quotes to Kick off Your Year
It's a new yearโthe next 12 months are a veritable blank slate, primed with new goals and new opportunities that will make 2014 jealous, because you and 2015 are super-tight bros who do amazing things together.
Sure, by June you may have unfriended that back-stabbing hater, 2015, and begging for 2014 to take you back, but the point isย as of right now, the new year is all about unlimited potential.
And if you need a little nudge to get inspiredโor even if you don'tโfew things can get you pumped up and ready to do big things like some of the most iconic quotes of sports history.
Motivation is the lifeblood of competition, so history is filled with powerful words said by sports legends who knew how to get the best out of people.
These are inspirational sports quotes to kick off your year.
On the True Measure of a Man
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"Itโs not whether you get knocked down; itโs whether you get up.
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โLegendary NFL coach Vince Lombardiย
On Age Being Nothin' but a Number
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"Age is a question of mind over matter. If you donโt mind, it doesnโt matter.
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โHall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paigeย
On Putting in the Time Necessary to Achieve
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"There are no office hours for champions.
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โFormer NCAA football coach Paul Dietzelย
On Taking Chances
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"You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.ย
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โNHL Hall of Fame great Wayne Gretzkyย
On Not Taking Work Home with You
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"I never took the game home with me. I always left it in some bar.
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โRetired MLB pitcher Bob Lemon
On When It's OK to Run Your Mouth
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"When you win, saying nothing. When you lose, say less.
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โNFL Hall of Fame coach Paul Brownย
On Turning a Negative into a Positive
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"Fans donโt boo nobodies.
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โMLB Hall of Fame great Reggie Jacksonย
On Why 'They' Aren't Always Right
8 of 25
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish theyโd make up their minds.
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โNBA Hall of Fame big man Wilt Chamberlainย
On Never Giving Up Your Dreams
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"Be a dreamer. If you donโt know how to dream, youโre dead.
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โFormer NCAA basketball coach Jim Valvanoย
On Premature Assumptions
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"Sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train.
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โNBA Hall of Fame great Charles Barkleyย
On Going Hard or Not Going at All
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"If you arenโt going all the way, why go at all?
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โNFL Hall of Famer Joe Namathย
On Consistency and Practice, Man, Practice
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"One day of practice is like one day of clean living. It doesnโt do you any good.ย
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โFormer NCAA basketball coach Abe Lemonsย
On Battling Through Adversity
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"My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.
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โMLB Hall of Fame great Hank Aaronย
On Prioritizing the Stuff That Matters:
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"Ninety percent Iโll spend on good times, women and Irish whiskey. The other 10 percent Iโll probably waste.
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โFormer MLB pitcher Tug McGraw
On What Really Matters
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"A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.
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โOlympic gymanstics gold medalist Mary Lou Rettonย
On the Value of Playing Conservatively
16 of 25
"When in doubt, punt.
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โLegendary coach John Heismanย
On the Limitations of Beauty
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"So Iโm ugly. So what? I never saw anyone hit with his face.
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โMLB Hall of Fame New York Yankee Yogi Berraย
On Not Relying on Ability Alone
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"Ability is a poor manโs wealth.
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โLegendary coach John Woodenย
On Walking the Walk Before Talking the Talk
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"It ainโt bragging if you can do it.
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โHall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Deanย
On What Separates the Weak from the Strong
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"Pressure can burst a pipe, or pressure can make a diamond.
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โRetired NBA player Robert Horryย
On Not Living in the Past
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"Itโs not what you did last year. Itโs what youโre going to do this year. Thatโs more important.
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โAging Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujolsย
On Never Giving Up
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"Youโre never a loser until you quit trying.
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โNFL Hall of Fame curmudgeon Mike Ditkaย
On Giving 100 Percent 100 Percent of the Time
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"Somebody once asked me if I ever went up to the plate trying to hit a home run. I said, โSure, every time.โ
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โHall of Fame New York Yankee Mickey Mantleย
On Why If You Aren't First, You're Second...not Last
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"It doesnโt bother me. I was also my wifeโs second choice, and weโve been married for 25 years.
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โFormer NCAA basketball coach Billy Tubbsย
On Opinions That Matter (And Those That Don't)
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"I donโt care what people think. People are stupid.
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โHall of Fame baller Charles Barkleyย
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