The sport has always inspired writers, artists, and of course, many athletes. You can find sports quotes that are sometimes famous, but also different perspectives on sports and running.
- “Why should we scorn the passion for sports when we praise that for art, philosophy, or science?”
- Jean Dion, Quebecois sports columnist
- “If the French knew the role of intelligence and will, the part of the mind and character in most sports; with what enthusiasm they would push their children into them.”
- Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games
- “The body of an athlete and the soul of a sage, that’s what it takes to be happy…”
- Voltaire, Enlightenment philosopher
- “The body must be disciplined to obey the soul… The weaker the body, the more it commands; the stronger it is, the more it obeys.”
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Enlightenment philosopher
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Sport quotes for self-improvement
Because many athletes thirst for victory, we offer you motivating sports quotes.
- “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to change your life, run a marathon.”
- Emil Zatopek, multiple Olympic champion
- “Sport seeks fear to overcome it, fatigue to triumph over it, difficulty to defeat it.”
- Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games
- “You have to set goals before you can achieve them.”
- Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time
- “Sport is self-transcendence. Sport is a school of life.”
- Aimé Jacquet, French national team coach, World Cup champion in 1998
- “We all love to win, but how many love to train?”
- Mark Spitz, American swimmer, 9-time Olympic champion
- “You can always improve a record. You can always do better.”
- Bruno Peyron, French sailor
- “Sports competition is a parable that perfectly illustrates the great race of life.”
- Claude Lelouch, French filmmaker (Palme d’Or Cannes 1966)
- “While the Olympics remain the ultimate goal, each competition is a challenge in itself.”
- Laure Manaudou, French swimmer
- “Two things matter: winning and having fun. Winning without having fun is pointless.”
- Roger Etcheto
- “I will silence the skeptics through my hard work. And no one will stop me from proving my worth.”
- Kenenisa Bekele, world record holder in the 5000m and 10,000m
- “Victory is giving your best. If you have given your best, you have won.”
- Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike and coach
Sport quotes to boost motivation
Losing motivation after a poor performance or a bad training session is not an end in itself. You will always find something positive even in failure. Here are some sports quotes to reignite your passion for sports after a rough period.
- “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
- Nietzsche, philosopher
- “Winning is not finishing in first place. It’s not beating others. Winning is defeating oneself. Overcoming our body, our limits, and our fears. Winning is surpassing oneself and turning dreams into reality.”
- Kilian Jornet, ultra trail runner, winner of the UTMB
- “We learn more from our own defeats than from the defeats of others.”
- Monica Seles, American tennis player, winner of 9 Grand Slam titles
- “To be a good winner, you have to be a good loser.”
- Mika Hakkinen, Finnish Formula One driver, double world champion
- “If you want to do something, either you find a way or you find excuses.”
- Emmanuel Pinda, French karateka
- “Giving up in a competition just because you can’t finish first is incompatible with the spirit of sports.”
- Eric Tabarly, French sailor, excerpt from “Mémoires du large” (Memoirs of the Sea)
- “I am a warrior and a perpetual dissatisfied person; that’s the hallmark of a champion.”
- André Panza, combat sports champion
- “They say: there are defeats that are victories… When I think about it, I’ve had a lot of success.”
- Patrick Timsit, French comedian
- “There is always something to learn from a mediocre football match: a back-heel, a shot… We read a failed book with the conviction that the next one will be better.”
- Bernard Pivot, French writer and literary critic
Humorous sport quotes
We’ve found you some sports quotes to bring a smile to your face as well as to regain motivation!
- “If the English have invented many sports, it’s because as soon as they feel outdone in one of them by a foreign nation, they invent another.”
- Peter Ustinov, English filmmaker, writer, and actor
- “I try to perfect my strengths and hide my weaknesses.”
- Billie Jean King, American tennis player
- “Let the athletes stop doping… We’ll look foolish in front of our TVs waiting for them to break records.”
- Coluche, French comedian and actor
- “A French athlete who wins is a Frenchman. A French athlete who loses is an athlete, to say the least.”
- Coluche
Sport quotes for reflection
Here are some more sports quotes that we find inspiring or that lead to reflection.
- “After a marathon, one knows more about what one is seeking in existence.”
- Paula Radcliffe, marathon world record holder
- “Stage fright is fundamentally the same for a champion and a beginner. The difference is that the former has learned to master it better than the latter.”
- John McEnroe, American tennis player, winner of 7 Grand Slam titles
- “I have always made a distinction between the man and the driver. If the reputation of the driver is no longer ideal, it doesn’t matter. Only that of the man is essential.”
- Alain Prost, French Formula One driver, four-time world champion
- “Breaking records is the fixed idea of a true athlete, and there is something like a usurpation by the body of this spiritual vocation of the Christian: to surpass oneself.”
- François Mauriac, French writer, Nobel Prize in Literature 1952
- “There is no greater glory for a man than to show the lightness of his feet and the strength of his arms…”
- Homer
- “Men pass on life to each other as runners pass on the torch.”
- Lucretius, Latin poet and philosopher
- “Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
- Albert Einstein, Swiss-American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics
- “If you are quick at the feast and slow in the race, eat with your feet and run with your mouth.”
- Lucian, Greek philosopher
Running quote from the marathon world record holder
If you still haven’t found motivation with these sports quotes, among the sports quotes and running quotes, Eliud Kichoge, marathon world record holder, says: “To succeed, in whatever discipline, an athlete must always start by believing that it’s possible, believing that he can do it.“
Find motivation by reading the success stories of our RunMotion Coach users.
To find a motivating coach, RunMotion’s Coach Joy will know how to find the right words.