Georges St-Pierre Quotes & Sayings

Only way to eliminate the element of surprise is to know yourself and now your adversary. — Georges St-Pierre

You can spend your life watching other people win or beat your name into history. — Georges St-Pierre

When I train, I love to take time off and fly to the Natural History Museum or an exhibition. I just love that. When you know your past, it will help you with your future ... That's why most of my friends are not fighters. Most of my friends are nerds like me. That's why I have a hard time finding a girlfriend. I need someone to talk science with. I'm married to my work right now. But you never know. One day I could wake up and just do something different. Life is so unpredictable. — Georges St-Pierre

One of my favorite Japanese proverbs is "Fall down 7 times, stand up 8". — Georges St-Pierre

Respect is the most important thing. Be respectful toward others and have respect for yourself. — Georges St-Pierre

Training to become champion is the toughest thing. The fight itself is just a test. — Georges St-Pierre

Humanity's true purpose is not to become stronger physically, it's to become more intelligent-from armies, who increasingly fight with specialized units rather than regiments and tanks, to garage owners, who use a lot more than jacks to fix your engine. As intelligence prevails throughout humanity, maybe there'll be fewer wars and better cars. — Georges St-Pierre

My goal is to share all my learning, all of my knowledge, so that other generations of martial arts will benefit. — Georges St-Pierre

I want to use every second of my life, every time that I have in my life, to make me a better fighter. That's why I'm a martial artist. For me, it's more than a job - it's a way of living — Georges St-Pierre

I think it makes your stronger to admit that you're scared, because you're not scared to say that you're scared. — Georges St-Pierre

The only way forward in life is innovation. — Georges St-Pierre

Power is different when you combined it with wisdom. Wisdom allows you to use less power to accomplish more tasks. — Georges St-Pierre

People who believe in themselves can accomplish almost anything ... all begins with attitude. — Georges St-Pierre

Everyone in life faces obstacles. That's what made me who I am. I don't regret to have been bullied because probably if I would not have faced those obstacles I would not have been the man that I am. It make my stronger in a way and it helped me to forge the person that I am right now. — Georges St-Pierre

When great depths of unrelenting sorrow are punctuated by great peaks of joy and liberation, the result is delicious. — Georges St-Pierre

You think I was born rich? I've worked really hard. You have no idea. — Georges St-Pierre

A fight is 10% physical and 90% mental. — Georges St-Pierre

With discipline, belief, and the right knowledge, we become the best we can be. — Georges St-Pierre

Innovation keeps me ahead of my competition. It means that my foes must adapt to me, not the other way around. — Georges St-Pierre

I will repeat a technique until it is mastered, no matter when that will be. One certainty though: it will be. — Georges St-Pierre

I'm always at my best when I'm fighting a guy who insults me..questions my integrity; it lights more fire in me. — Georges St-Pierre

Nervous and scared is a good thing, it's your friend. You feel more on the edge, you feel like you're about to fall down the river, it's a good thing for me. I like that feeling. — Georges St-Pierre

Fights aren't won in the octagon, they're won in the months leading up to them, in a near-empty gym, in the lost hours of a day, whether I feel like it or not. — Georges St-Pierre

There is no luck in life, everything happens for a reason. Every little thing that you do ... leads up to a bigger thing. And that's the story of my life. — Georges St-Pierre

The key to effective visualization is to create the most detailed, clear and vivid a picture to focus on as possible. The more vivid the visualization, the more likely, and quickly, you are to begin attracting the things that help you achieve what you want to get done. — Georges St-Pierre

One of the lessons I learned in all those years practicing karate is that progress only comes in small incremental portions. — Georges St-Pierre

Always pursue your dreams and work hard at it. — Georges St-Pierre

As Aristotle wrote a long, long time ago, and I'm paraphrasing here, the goal is to avoid mediocrity by being prepared to try something and either failing miserably or triumphing grandly. Mediocrity is not about failing, and it's the opposite of doing. Mediocrity, in other words, is about not trying. The reason is achingly simple, and I know you've heard it a thousand times before: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. — Georges St-Pierre

It's not about how you are when things go well, what defines you is how you are when you fail from an obstacle. — Georges St-Pierre

There are two kinds of people who do martial arts: those who practice a thousand different kicks one time each, and those who practice one kick a thousand times minimum. You can guess which group I belong to. — Georges St-Pierre

I'm a martial artist, and I don't train because I have a fight; I train because it's my lifestyle, and I'll train every day if I'm not hurt. — Georges St-Pierre

I will never take the fact that I am Welterweight Champion for granted. I learnt my mistake in the past. No matter how great, no matter how people tell me how great I am, I'm always one mistake away from losing everything. — Georges St-Pierre

My mentality is like a Samurai: They used to every day work on their technique to make themselves almost perfect. Because perfection is impossible, but every day, you get closer to perfection. — Georges St-Pierre

I'm always scared when I fight. But that fear is what keeps me more alert and more focused. It's good to have fear. — Georges St-Pierre

Innovation, born from true creativity, depends on movement. — Georges St-Pierre

The real test is this one: When you're alone in a room, when you're in a private place and nobody else can see you, what do you choose to do? Eat well, or eat poorly? Exercise, or watch television? Practice something, or do nothing? The best version of the truth appears to you and you alone, when nobody else can see. This is the test of discipline, and it's what makes the difference in your life. It's what regulates your own system and guides it. The individual alone comprehends it. — Georges St-Pierre

Innovation is very important to me, especially professionally. The alternative, standing pat, leads to complacency, rigidity and eventually failure. — Georges St-Pierre

I like to think I'm like water that adapts to its surroundings and eventually finds a way in. — Georges St-Pierre

No two journeys are alike. Nobody can pretend to know the journey another person takes to achieve his dreams. — Georges St-Pierre

I'm a shy guy ... I don't enjoy being bothered but I never say no to a fan. I say yes to everybody ... even though sometimes you have some days where you don't feel like it, but it's your duty as athlete to do it. Because the fans that pay it's going to make you live, so you have to do it. So I force myself to do it all the time. — Georges St-Pierre

It's bizarre, a punch in the face hurts less when you win than when you lose. — Georges St-Pierre

You don't get better on the days when you feel like going. You get better on the days when you don't want to go, but you go anyway. If you can overcome the negative energy coming from your tired body or unmotivated mind, you will grow and become better. It won't be the best workout you have, you won't accomplish as much as what you usually do when you actually feel good, but that doesn't matter. Growth is a long term game, and the crappy days are more important. — Georges St-Pierre

If I'm disrespectful to my opponent, how can I respect myself? — Georges St-Pierre

The danger is not to set your goal too high and fail to reach it. It's to set your goal too low and reach it — Georges St-Pierre

Efficiency for me is an obsession..It not only helps me get stronger but makes things simpler. — Georges St-Pierre

Before each one of my fights, I make a point of saluting my opponent. I salute the other fighter out of respect, even though he is trying to take something from me. — Georges St-Pierre

When you prepare a list of improvements and you make them small and achievable, you won't just stick to then, you'll increase the chances that you'll keep moving forward. — Georges St-Pierre

I'm not impressed by your performance. — Georges St-Pierre

Nick Diaz is a champion so he's got the spirit that comes with it. So he's not going to give up mentally. You see a lot of guys give up mentally and that's why they get knocked out or submitted. They give up mentally before they lose. — Georges St-Pierre

Some people learn to lose. Others lose and learn. — Georges St-Pierre

I fight with emotion, but I don't fight with anger. I could be angry, but I'm not going to fight with anger because when you fight with anger you can make mistakes. — Georges St-Pierre

This extends to all things, but you only learn it by losing a few times. — Georges St-Pierre

A system that works for one person won't be perfect for another ... Individuality is a major part of expanding knowledge. — Georges St-Pierre

In fighting, in evolution, in life, efficiency is the key, — Georges St-Pierre

With training and self discipline; clear focus and confidence; problems can be overcome and even lead to unexpected gains — Georges St-Pierre

It's easy to talk, it's harder to fight. — Georges St-Pierre

Humility is the first rule of martial arts. Either you learn humility quickly, or you leave because your ego can't handle losing repeatedly. — Georges St-Pierre

I was a big fan of Jean-Claude Van-Damme growing up, and I always wanted to be a martial artist 'cause of him. — Georges St-Pierre

Don't be afraid to spend money to make money. That's one thing I've never been afraid of ... to invest in myself. — Georges St-Pierre

Once I got over my anger and rage from childhood, once I stopped feeling like a victim, I was able to open myself to great sources of learning. — Georges St-Pierre

A true master gives all his knowledge. But only when the student is ready. — Georges St-Pierre

Watching myself fight, I realize the line between success and failure is so narrow, it's scary. — Georges St-Pierre

Innovation is a discipline not a lottery ... It comes from the combination of two elements within my control: hard work and openmindedness. — Georges St-Pierre

I see the world as a knowledge hardware story, and every day I'm just walking through the aisles. — Georges St-Pierre

Train smart at all times and do your best to avoid injury. Training smart is more important than training hard. — Georges St-Pierre

It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. — Georges St-Pierre

The only way to ever truly get your confidence and swagger back, I've learned, is to fight for them. — Georges St-Pierre

For me, personally, when I'm afraid of something - when you're afraid of something, normally you try to go away, you try to avoid it. Instead of avoiding it, to overcome your fear, I believe you need to embrace it. — Georges St-Pierre

If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you do good. — Georges St-Pierre

Seeking knowledge is like opening doors. And I know the doors are everywhere. — Georges St-Pierre

I am a public person and I have my private life. It's important for me that my private life stay private, that what I share with the people is my public personality. — Georges St-Pierre

Set your goal and keep moving forward. — Georges St-Pierre

You always recognize great champions ... how they come back from a loss. — Georges St-Pierre

The truth is that I didn't start as a winner. When I was a kid, I was just another reject. I started at the bottom. I think all winners do. — Georges St-Pierre

One of the important lessons I learned from my parents is always to respect authority figures like teachers. — Georges St-Pierre

It's not always the strong that survive. It takes brains, guts, tolerance and forward thinking. — Georges St-Pierre

Fear is the genesis of most of the good things that have occurred in my life. Fear is the beginning of every success I've lived. — Georges St-Pierre

The purpose is to become the best writer in my category (yes, page for page and pound for pound). — Georges St-Pierre

Dinosaurs were huge and powerful; they could not adapt and they died out. And so the big difference between dinosaurs and cockroaches is adaptability: one is able to adjust, while the other, apparently, couldn't ... The same analogy applies to fighting, and probably any other sport. It's not always the strong that survive. It takes brains, guts, tolerance and forward thinking. We've seen this since the beginning of mixed martial arts. — Georges St-Pierre

Nothing really frustrates
me to the point of hatred.
It's not the worth the energy. — Georges St-Pierre

A guy that has more knowledge has the advantage. — Georges St-Pierre

I've trained myself to fight an army, so one guy will not defeat me. — Georges St-Pierre

I bow to my opponent in praise and thanks. After the fight is a time for humility, acceptance and analysis, no matter the result. — Georges St-Pierre

Think about climbing a mountain. If you decide you're going up Everest, you don't start with a sprint. You'll never make it out of base camp if you do that. The secret is two fold: make sure your approach is consistent and steady so that you can maintain the progress you're making as your journey continues. — Georges St-Pierre

It's OK to get butterfly in your stomach; the key is to learn how to make them fly in formation. — Georges St-Pierre

I am very honored and excited to be part of UFC 100; it's going to be the hardest challenge of my career so far and it's going to be pretty tough - I can't wait. — Georges St-Pierre

It's not always the best team that wins the game it's the team that plays better. — Georges St-Pierre

It all comes down to confidence: your body can do great things only if it believes it can accomplish them. — Georges St-Pierre

What happens when you accept and embrace your fear? Fear becomes your weapon. — Georges St-Pierre

The more knowledge you get, the more questions you ask. The smarter you get, the more you realize that everything can be possible. — Georges St-Pierre

Fear can be a natural ally, a homemade power source ... Staying in the present, fear can only help you. — Georges St-Pierre

Respect your opponent, just make them respect you more. — Georges St-Pierre

When you pay attention to detail, the big picture will take care of itself. — Georges St-Pierre

People often say, 'Ah, ultimate fighting is so violent,' but it's rooted in martial arts. Martial arts incarnate respect. You can't walk into a dojo and say to your sensei, 'Hey, salut tabarnac!' After every one of my fights I go and shake the hand of my opponent. I don't need to hate the other fighter to fight him well. It's a sport. — Georges St-Pierre

There is a difference between a fighter and a martial artist. A fighter is training for a purpose: He has a fight. I'm a martial artist. I don't train for a fight. I train for myself. I'm training all the time. My goal is perfection. But I will never reach perfection. — Georges St-Pierre

My fear delivered one of the great lessons of my life: That someone without fear can't push himself. He can't get better. He can't transform negatives into positives. He can't open his world to creativity and invention, or even progress. — Georges St-Pierre

Standing still is never a good option. Not in the ring, and not in life ... When you stop moving, you're done. — Georges St-Pierre

I try to protect my loved ones, the people I share my life with, because they don't have a public life like me. I want to keep their lives private out of respect for them. — Georges St-Pierre

Once fear enters your life - it will take you in one of two directions: empowerment or panic. — Georges St-Pierre

Your body can dictate your mind ... As I'm walking to the Octagon and I act with confidence, my body take over my mind, and I become confident for real. — Georges St-Pierre