One of the best ways to keep your focus, keep motivated, and expand your mind is by learning from the greats. People who are more legend than human, whose list of achievements and accomplishments seem inhuman.
But there not.
At one point, they started at the bottom, like you. They were no one, and everything they achieved came from never giving up, no matter what obstacles life put in front of them, and the sacrifices they had to make in pursuit of greatness.
Learning from people who have already created monumental success is a sure-fire way to help you on your own journey, so we’ve collected some of the absolute best quotes from the legendary greats of the world to inspire you.
“Mental toughness is like a muscle. It needs to be worked to grow and develop. If you haven’t pushed yourself in thousands of small ways, of course you’ll wilt when things get really difficult.”
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, on the importance of consistent improvement
Mental toughness isn’t something that is created during those high-stakes moments. It’s something that’s built in the day-to-day, through practice and persistence. Clear’s book is filled with wisdom like this.
“You just can’t beat the person who won’t give up.”
Babe Ruth, baseball legend, on perseverance:
Two key parts of mental toughness is the ability to respond to adversity as well as the ability to remain consistent. Babe’s quote captures both simply and clearly.
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger, an Austrian-American actor, film producer, businessman, former bodybuilder and politician on building mental strength
This is the core meaning of mental toughness. If you are scared to fail, you’ll never succeed.
“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”
Arthur Ashe, tennis legend, on the value of preparation
The main takeaway from this one: Mental toughness requires mental preparation, not just physical. If you aren’t prepared, you’ll have a hard time being mentally tough and learning from your mistakes.
“A lot of people run a race to see who’s the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts.”
Steve Prefontaine, American distance runner, on how to compete
This one is important for all athletes to understand. Success isn’t always about outcomes – who’s the best or the fastest. Being mentally tough is not a silver bullet, as you can still lose. But you can be sure they always have guts.
“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
Winston Churchill on failure
Key takeaway: Reframe failures as attempts at being successful, and learn something from every attempt.
“I like criticism. It makes you strong.”
LeBron James, 4-time NBA champion, on responding to criticism
Regardless is LeBron does like criticism, this quote is valid. Others’ opinions don’t decide your reality.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle, Greek philosopher, on how to cultivate excellence
Mental toughness isn’t a new thing. Thousands of years ago, one of the wisest humans ever knew that consistency breeds excellence.
“Being uncomfortable is the lifeblood of toughness.”
Bo Hanson, Olympic rower, on mental toughness
Being in uncomfortable situations will breed mental toughness, which will make you have emotional resiliency to deal with any situation.
“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, the greatest boxer, on why training matters
Mentally tough athletes are great at setting goals and avoiding instant gratification in favor of the long-term payoff. They have a why, and they’re willing to sacrifice to pursue a purpose.
“Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it.”
Mia Hamm, soccer icon, on reacting to failure
“Grit is that ‘extra something’ that separates the most successful people from the rest. It’s the passion, perseverance, and stamina, that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until they become a reality.”
Travis Bradberry, author of the best-selling book Emotional Intelligence, on developing grit
If you truly want to achieve your goal, you can’t let anything stand in your way. If fact, you need to do more than that – you need to use everything to your advantage, including the hard times.
“Greatness isn’t born, it’s grown.”
Malcolm Gladwell, Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker on greatness
Simple, but so true. Greatness does not just wake up one day in you, it needs to be chosen every day.
“Some people mistake grit for sheer persistence – charging up the same hill again and again. But that’s not quite what I mean by the word ‘grit.’ You want to minimize friction and find the most effective, most efficient way forward. You might actually have more grit if you treat your energy as a precious commodity.”
Reid Hoffman, American internet entrepreneur, on building grit
This is the definition of combining working hard with working smarter, and is something that all athlete should strive to embody.
“You are not DEFEATED when you lose. You are defeated when you QUIT.”
Paulo Coelho, Brazilian lyricist and novelist on mental toughness
Do we really need to say more?
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender. That is strength.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger, an Austrian-American actor, film producer, businessman, former bodybuilder and politician on building mental strength
Another one from the legend that is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins, but by how they can recover when they fall.”
Serena Williams, Pro American tennis player on recovering from failures
This really boils down what separates the great from the legends of the world of sports. Being able to get back up after a devastating setback or result is the sign of a champion.
“Winners build on mistakes. Losers dwell on them.”
Unknown
Thought the person is unknown who said this, every athlete should understand this.
“Confidence comes not from always being right, but from not fearing to be wrong.”
Peter McIntyre, WWll painter
This should be something that everyone – not just athletes – embodies in their daily lives and actions. True confidence comes when you do not fear being wrong.
“If you can’t accept losing, you can’t win.”
Vincent Lombardi, an American football coach, on failure
The last quote on our list, but certainly not the least. You’ll never be cut out for the life of an athlete (or anyone in an important role) if you cannot accept loosing. When it comes to sports, you can count on loosing more than you’ll win, but it’s the comeback from the those losses and the constant pursuit of greatness that take you to the top.
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