“The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.”
Martina Navratilova

“Sports ideally teach discipline and commitment. They challenge you and build character for everything you do in life.”
Howie Long

“One man practicing good sportsmanship is far better than 50 others preaching it.”
Knute Rockne

“I believe that coaches and athletes should realize that the athletic department field, court or diamond can be made an extension of the classroom, a place where you and your teammates are learning more than just how to prepare to win. The field, the court, and the diamond should be places where athletes are constantly learning about the game in which they participate, about their coaches and teammates, and perhaps most importantly, about themselves.”
Phillip R. Shriver, former University of Miami President

“Every day the word ‘gift’ is used to define talent, ability, and performance. Being gifted has an even deeper meaning, a meaning that isn’t always measured in points per game or win/loss records - it’s measured by heart, effort, and desire.”
Alan Cohen

“Doing your best is more important than being the best.”
Shannon Miller

“The answers to these questions will determine your success or failure. 1) Can people trust me to do what’s right? 2) Am I committed to doing my best? 3) Do I care about other people and show it? If the answers to these questions are yes, there is no way you can fail.”
Lou Holtz

“Good coaching is about leadership and instilling respect in your players. Dictators lead through fear – good coaches do not.”
John Wooden

“Before I go out on the field every day, I tell myself, ‘You are having fun, and you want to set a good example to those who are watching.”
Cory Snyder

“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.”
Mike Singletary

“Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself.”
Henry Ward Beecher

“No student ever attains eminent success by simply doing what is required of him/her; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required, that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction.”
Charles Kendall Adams, American Historian

“How a man plays the game shows something of his character; how he loses shows it all.”
Tribune (Camden County, GA)

“Remember that sports are meant to be fun. Don’t let someone make the sport unfun for you.”
A.J. Kitt

“Improve your performance by improving your attitude.”
Unknown

“Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.”
T. Alan Armstrong

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

“Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to produce uncommon results.”
Unknown

“If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.”
Michael Jordan

“In the end, it’s extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more that that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together, and even if you don’t win, how can you lose?”
Jesse Owens

“Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss.”
Doug Williams

“I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability.”
Bruce Jenner

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

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
Mother Teresa