Quotes & Sayings About Sports Leadership

If I do not practice one day; I know it. If I do not practice the next, the orchestra knows it; if I do not practice the third day, the whole world knows it. — Ignacy Jan Paderewski

A few mistakes don't worry me; what worries me is when you make the mistakes and then forget your role on the team and start to worry about your ego. — Digger Phelps

I learned to give him the ball ... — Magic Johnson

Invincibility is in oneself, and vulnerability is in the opponent. Invincibility is a matter of defense, vulnerability is a matter of attack. Therefore skillful warriors are able to be invincible, but they cannot cause opponents to be vulnerable. That is why it is said that victory is discerned and not manufactured. — Sun Tzu

I am not looking for perfection. I look for the best in me. — Martina Navratilova

It was a great game if you don't care who won. I cared. — Lou Holtz

I don't know, but I stepped on a scale that gives fortunes and the card read Come back in 15 minutes alone. — Frank Layden

First we become the best, then we'll become first. — Lou Holtz

It doesn't matter what anybody thinks of what I do. The clock doesn't lie. — Bonnie Blair

You can only make so much money in life and only enjoy so many creature comforts. The important thing is to do something meaningful-to leave something behind. — Roone Arledge

We finally got Nebraska where we want them ... off the schedule. — Cal Stoll

In my book success and winning are not always the same thing. To me, success is playing - or working - to the best of your ability. — Joe Torre

It is so important for young girls to be fit. I think sports is the key to success, because the challenges you face in sports prepare you for the rest of your life. — Gail Devers

When you play defense you have to storm the fort or play cover - you can't do both. — Bear Bryant

It was always fun for me, I loved baseball so darn much. By the hours I practiced, you'd have to say I was working a lot of hours, but it was pretty near tireless fun for me. I'd rather swing a bat than do anything else in the world. — Ted Williams

I know I am only one, but I am one, and just because I'm one should not stop me from — Edward Everett Hale

You've got to realize that in any competition there is always a winner and loser. When it turns out that you're the loser on a given day, you can be a graceful loser, but it doesn't mean that you're a loser in the sense that you're willing to accept losses readily. Concede that on that day you weren't the best and that you were beaten in competition. But that should make you more dedicated and hard working. It's wrong to accept defeat as a loser. Be graceful about losing, but don't accept it. — Nolan Ryan

Make sure your daughter's goal is her goal, not your goal. — Tracy Austin

From an athlete's perspective, to cancel the Olympics in regards to the threats would be absolutely devastating - especially since the Olympics - it's really about people meeting together through sports and putting aside their countries' differences for that time. — Brian Boitano

In order to be successful at anything you choose to do, you must make a 100 percent commitment to what it is you are trying to do. If you put 50 percent of your ability into it, that is all that you will get out of it. You must discipline your body and your mind to work towards the goals you have set. Once you have made this decision, then the work begins. — Johnny Unitas

We're in a leadership position in sports. People look up to the National Football League. — Roger Goodell

Do not use compulsion, but let early education be rather a sort of amusement. — Plato

Here's a memonic device that I feel teaches how we can properly cope with failure. Forget about your failures; don't dwell on past mistakes Anticipate failure; realize that we all make mistakes. Intensity in everything you do; never be a failure for lack of effort. Learn from your mistakes; don't repeat previous errors. Understand why you failed; diagnose your mistakes so as to not repeat them. Respond, don't react to errors; responding corrects mistakes while reacting magnifies them. Elevate your self-concept. It's OK to fail, everyone does; now how are you going to deal with the failure — Steve Largent

I wish I had played team sports. I think every kid should. Teamwork builds character - teaches people about leadership and cooperation. — Mo Rocca

When I was in high school I asked myself at one point: "Why do I care if my high school's team wins the football game? I don't know anybody on the team, they have nothing to do with me ... why am I here and applaud? It does not make any sense." But the point is, it does make sense: It's a way of building up irrational attitudes of submission to authority and group cohesion behind leadership elements. In fact it's training in irrational jingoism. That's also a feature of competitive sports. — Noam Chomsky

I don't mind the high price of stardom. I just don't like the high price of mediocrity. — Bill Veeck

Kids on a team are like flowers in a bouquet, there is always one that wants to face a different way than the arranger desires. — John Kessel

Is it or is it not a matter of importance that a young man starts out in life with an ability to shut his jaw hard and say "I will," or "I will not," and mean it? — John William Heisman

The most important thing in a person's life is his faith and how he translates his faith into practical deeds. — Hakeem Olajuwon

I don't think either team can win it. — Warren Brown

The successful man has enthusiasm. Good work is never done in cold blood; heat is needed for forge anything. Every great achievement is the story of a flaming heart. — Harry S. Truman

I do not believe that there is any secret or single formula for success, but there are common threads of thought and action that characterize the successful people that I have been fortunate enough to know and observe. I do know, from my own experience, that our chance of succeeding is much greater when we organize and take charge of our lives. When we are willing to make decisions, we aggressively pursue those things in life that are important to us. — Merlin Olsen

I've got to be first. ALL the time. — Ty Cobb

Positioning yourself and effective branding should not be left to sports and movie stars. Your need a personal coach, manager or mentor otherwise your expertise, skills or talent will not go far. You might have what it takes but sometimes you lack strategy and some finer elements. — Archibald Marwizi

I hope I epitomize the American dream. For I came against long odds, from the ghetto to the very top of my profession. I was not immediately good at basketball. It did not come easy. It came as the result of a lot of hard work and self-sacrifice. The rewards, where they worth it? One thousand times over. — Bill Russell

I once said coaching a first-year team was a religious experience. You do a lot of praying - but most of the time the answer is NO. — Bill Fitch

Many high school students are under so much competitive pressure. They are sometimes taught that if they don't have a 4.0 GPA, score in the 99th percentile on admissions tests, and demonstrate leadership in sports and participate in clubs, they won't get into college anywhere. Even highly credentialed professionals get caught up in this. — Elizabeth Thornton

I believe in a business boarding up early. If you make a mistake, you put the boards in the window of the store and say, "Hey, I made a mistake." Let me take two shots in the arm and a punch on the nose and let me get on to the next thing. I don't believe in worrying over failures. I worry about successes. This is opposite from most people. Most people zero in on their failures. I try to keep all my attention on a pyramid type philosophy rather than the averaging-down philosophy. — Al McGuire

Set a goal and make a commitment to meet that goal. Do the best you can, but never forget your roots, never forget where you came from. After you have succeeded, look back and see if there are others that you might help to achieve what you have accomplished. — Larry Holmes

We play with enthusiasm and recklessness. We aren't afraid to lose. If we win, great; but win or lose, it is the competition that gives us pleasure. — Joe Paterno

Bill Walton, UH Volleyball coach, after his player kept looking at him on the bench every time the ball hit the floor ... Next time you look at me I'll put you on the bench where you can see me better. My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don't make them because they are cheap; you don't make them because they are popular. You make them because they are right. — Theodore Hesburgh

From 143rd Street in Harlem to the center court at Wimbledon is about as far as one can travel. — Althea Gibson

All through your life, you'll be faced with making a decision between two things-choose the one that is right. If they are both right, then choose the one that will make you feel the best about it at the end of the day. — Thomas Jefferson

It's not a case of us against them, it's a matter of melding all people's skills and resources to create a better world for everyone ! — Lyn St. James

It is ok to err, but it is not ok to stop playing; it is ok to lose, but it is not ok to give up. — John Kessel

He looks like he needs worming. — Darrell Royal

The most important thing that a young athlete must do it pick the right sport. Not one that they like just a little bit, but one that they love. Because,if they don't really love their sport, they won't work as hard as they should. Me? I loved to hit. — Babe Ruth

I learned a long time ago that one way to maximize potential for performance is to be calm in my mind. What I try to achieve during the season is a relaxed state of concentration. I simply try to cleanse my mind of the pressures that people are trying to heap on me. — Brian Sipe

But I noted with real satisfaction how well ex-footballers seemed to have leadership qualifications ... I believe that football, perhaps more than any other sport, tends to instill in men the feeling that victory comes through hard - almost slavish - work, team play, self-confidence, and an enthusiasm that amounts to dedication. — Dwight D. Eisenhower

Talent is everywhere, it only needs the opportunity. — Kathrine Switzer

Leadership is one of sports' intangibles. Guys can score, guys can fight, guys can skate faster than anybody else. But not everybody can say, 'Follow me.' — Paul Coffey

As far as self-discipline goes, it's still ultimately up to me how well I can push myself. Only I can do that. I just have to keep on going, keep on working, keep on improving. — Sheryl Swoopes

Winning isn't enough. The acme of all skill is to defeat your enemy before taking the field. — Sun Tzu

So much of what you do physically happens because you've thought about it and mentally prepared for it. — Dan Fouts

Good sportsmanship we hail, we sing, It's always pleasant when you spot it. There's only one unhappy thing: You have to lose to prove that you've got it. — Richard Armour

People ask me what makes a great skier. It takes the gift; but besides the gift it takes all the availability of mind which permit total control of all the elements that lead to victory. - total composure. — Jean-Claude Killy

Leadership can be defined in one word - honesty. You must be honest with the players and honest with yourself. — Earl Weaver

The word coach comes from the old English word coach, which was a vehicle, a carriage that took royalty or very important people from where they were to where they wanted to go. That's really what a coach is. He or she tries to create a vehicle that will help you get where you're going, not where the coach wants you to go. — Timothy Gallwey

Don't tell me you can pitch ... pitch. Don't tell me you can sell ... sell. — Joe Garagiola

So what if I never win my fifth gold medal; It's only one end of the string. It's competing that matters. It's proving that there is a place for guys like me in sports. It's a persona challenge to extend myself. — Al Oerter

Don't wait to be a great man; be a great boy! — Ralph Jordan

Just remember, strength and courage. If you stand on principle, you'll never lose. — Janet Reno

You can't teach court savvy — Dean Smith

I've swum for my country, I've swum for my coaches and my schools and my teams. I decided this time I was going to swim for myself. — Janet Evans

I think as far as any kind of pressure on a football team or on an individual in professional sports really depends not only on that individual but the leadership they have on the team and the leadership they have on the coaching staff. A lot of times, they can divert some of those pressures off of the individual and off of the team. — Jimmy Johnson

As a player, remember that the bench is not a prison, but an extension of the first group. Concentrate on the quality of your play when you do get into the game. If you play 20 minutes, play the best 20 you can possibly play. — Stan Albeck

We will use some kind of option and we will throw the football. I hope it will be at our people. — Lou Holtz

In the name of all competitors, I promise that we will take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by all the rules which govern them in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams. — Pierre De Coubertin

If you want a thing done - go. If not - send. — Benjamin Franklin

I needed to do my current job well, keep preparing, and wait on God's timing. I needed to trust His leadership rather than try to force an outcome I wanted. — Tony Dungy

I have often been asked whether I am a women or an athlete. The question is absurd. Men are not asked that. I am an athlete. I am a women. — Billie Jean King

The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence. — Walt Disney

Life is a game - sometimes serious, sometimes fun - but a game that must be played with true team spirit. — Shelagh Delaney

The man who can accept defeat and take his salary without feeling guilty is a thief. — George Allen

Leadership is the challenge to be something more than average. — Jim Rohn

Until Sammy Baugh - pro football in Texas was a one-paragraph story on the third page of the Monday sports section. — Dan Jenkins

A part of control is learning to correct your own weaknesses. The person doesn't live who was born with everything. Sometimes he has one weak point, generally he has several. The first thing is to know your faults. And then take on a systematic plan of correcting them. You know the old saying about a chain only being as strong as its weakest link. The same can be said in the chain of skills a man forges. — Babe Ruth

One of the most important qualities for any young athlete is the ability to believe in oneself. If you have confidence in yourself, in your teammates and your coach, you will succeed. — Chuck Knox

I try to help my athletes visualize their full potential, and then get out of the way as they achieve it. — Pat Roberts

I sought the advice and cooperation from all those around me- but not permission. — Muhammad Ali

Don't be good, be great. Strive to be exceptional. Picture yourself making a great play. Don't let anyone stop you. — Dan Hampton

A coach is someone who always makes you do what you don't want to do, so you can be who you've always wanted to be. — Leeman Bennett

The only thing that counts is your dedication to the game. You run on your own fuel; it comes from within you. — Paul Brown

Football is definitely a team sport. Without one person doing the right thing, the whole team falls. At Navy and in lacrosse, the off-the-field leadership comes into play, you know so if one person is slacking off, we've got everyone making sure everyone is pulling their own weight. It's like that in football too. — Sean Price

Concerning the limits and limitations of the women's game - why should we believe there are any? — Helen Wills

I don't understand these new coaches who don't drink. What do they do when they get beat? — Abe Lemons

It's a game of habit, or repetition. You can't play one way in practice and another way in a game. It's a reflex. The game is so quick you don't have time to think. — Bill Sharman

It has always been my thought that the most important single ingredient to success in athletics or life is discipline. I have many times felt that this word is the most ill-defined in all of our language. My definition isas follows: 1. Do what has to be done; 2. When it has to be done; 3. As well as it can be done; and 4. Do it it that way all the time. — Bobby Knight

Sport is not about being wrapped up in cotton wool. Sport as about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute. Sport, like all life, is about taking risks. — Roger Bannister

When you're winning - you don't need any friends. When you're losing - you don't have any friends anyway. — Woody Hayes

Girls should go on thinking that there is a world out there and that it is theirs for the taking. — Anne Bancroft

The film looks suspiciously like the game itself! — Bum Phillips

In whatever sport of field of endeavor you are interested, you should do whatever is necessary to compliment your God-given talent with proper mental preparation so as to do "the best you can." The criterion should be to fully exploit your potential rather than to win at any cost. What more could anyone ever ask of you than to be the best you possibly can? — Bob Cousy

I have a bumper sticker that Bowen created that says Regardless of my kids grades, they have an 'A' in my book'. Without play the child that still lives in all of us will always be incomplete. And not only physically, but creatively, intellectually, and spiritually as well. — George A. Sheehan

The most costly disease is boredom costly for both individual and society. — Norman Cousins

Humility is always one play away. — Tim Foley

Surround our children with a message of honor — Michael Josephson

There is no mat space for malcontents or dissenters. One must neither celebrate insanely when he wins, nor sulk when he loses. He accepts victory professionally, humbly; he hates defeat, but makes no poor display of it. — Dan Gable

Lombardi has to have the highest threshold of pain in the world - none of our injuries hurts him at all. — Jerry Kramer

Winners bring reality up to their vision. Losers bring their vision down to reality. — Chuck Knox