Birthday Wishes For A Female Runner ♦ Best Wishes Always

40 Inspiring Quotes from Olympic Athletes

Posted by Kyle Eng

Every two years as the Olympic games approach, athletes all over the world prepare to show their amazing talent. As we cheer on new faces, here are 40 inspiring quotes from Olympic athletes that celebrate their hard work and personal determination.

• Winning doesn't always mean being first. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before. - Bonnie Blair, American speed skater and five-time gold medalist

• Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons of life. - Kristi Yamaguchi, American figure skater and 1992 gold medalist

• I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match. - Mia Hamm, American soccer player and two-time gold medalist

• If you dream and allow yourself to dream, you can do anything. - Clara Hughes, Canadian cyclist and 2006 gold-medal winning speed skater

• The world never puts a price on you higher than the one you put on yourself. - Sonja Henie, Norwegian figure skater and three-time gold medalist

• Without passion, you won't do something 100 percent. That's the bottom line. - Apolo Ohno, American speed skater and eight-time medalist

• It’s not about winning at the Olympic Games. It’s about trying to win. The motto is faster, higher, stronger, not fastest, highest, strongest. Sometimes it’s the trying that matters. - Bronte Barratt, Australian swimmer and 2008 gold medalist

• To win, you have to risk loss. - Jean-Claude Killy, French ski racer and three-time gold medalist

• There is a popular fallacy that falling down is the mark of a poor skater. But the truth is that when one stops falling, he has probably stopped improving. - Dick Button, American figure skater and two-time gold medalist

• Are you going to stand or are you going to crumble? In the face of everything, stand still. - Gabby Douglas, American gymnast and three-time gold medalist

• If you fail to prepare, you’ve prepared to fail. - Mark Spitz, American swimmer and 9-time Olympic medalist

• Never put an age limit on your dreams. - Dara Torres, American swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist

• Passion is a huge prerequisite to winning. It makes you willing to jump through hoops, go through all the ups and downs and everything in between to reach your goal. - Kerri Walsh, American beach volleyball player and three-time gold medalist

• You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get. - Michael Phelps, American swimmer and most-decorated Olympian of all time

• The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important. - Bob Knight, American men’s basketball coach of 1984 gold medal-winning team

• You take a crash, you get back up, and next time you succeed and that’s a great feeling. - Shaun White, American snowboarder and two-time gold medalist

• The things you learn from sports — setting goals, being part of a team, confidence — that’s invaluable. It’s not about trophies and ribbons. It’s about being on time for practice, accepting challenges and being fearful of the elements. - Summer Sanders, former American swimmer and two-time gold medalist

• The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours. - Peggy Fleming, American figure skater and 1968 gold medalist

• Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and keep it lit. - Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast and five-time Olympic medalist

• He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. - Muhammed Ali, American boxer and 1960 gold medalist

• Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us. - Wilma Rudolph, American sprinter and three-time gold medalist

• You have to believe in yourself when no one else does — that makes you a winner right there. - Venus Williams, American tennis player and four-time gold medalist

• Adversity and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless. - Scott Hamilton, American figure skater and 1984 gold medalist

• Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle! - Sanya Richards Ross, former American track and field athlete and four-time gold medalist

• Don’t ever let your memories be bigger than your dreams. - Jim Craig, American ice hockey goaltender and 1980 gold medalist

• This ability to conquer oneself is no doubt the most precious of all things sports bestows. - Olga Korbut, Belarusian gymnast and four-time gold medalist

• It’s all about the journey, not the outcome. - Carl Lewis, American track and field athlete and nine-time gold medalist

• We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort. - Jesse Owens, former American track and field athlete and four-time gold medalist

• The ones who are successful are the ones who really want it. You have to have that inner drive otherwise it's not going to work out. – Kerri Strug, American gymnast and 1996 gold medalist

• Only the strongest shoulders can carry the hopes of a nation. - Katie Taylor, Irish boxer and 2012 gold medalist

• I didn’t lose the gold. I won the silver. - Michelle Kwan, former American figure skater and two-time Olympic medalist

• Part of being a champ is acting like a champ. You have to learn how to win and not run away when you lose. - Nancy Kerrigan, American figure skater and two-time Olympic medalist

• To uncover your true potential, you must first find your own limits, and then you have to have the courage to blow past them. - Picabo Street, American alpine ski racer and 1998 gold medalist

• If you think you’re done, you always have at least 40 percent more. - Lauren Crandall, American field hockey player

• I also realize that winning doesn't always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself. - Meb Keflezighi, American long-distance runner and Olympic medalist

• It's really ironic that I won, because that's not the goal that I had in mind when I went out to skate. - Sarah Hughes, American figure skater and 2002 gold medalist

• Everybody has a talent, but it's what you do with that talent to make it great. - Alex Morgan, American soccer player and 2022 gold medalist

• This is my day. This is my purpose. I'm not afraid to win. - Kayla Harrison, American judoka and two-time gold medalist

• In the midst of an ordinary training day, I try to remind myself that I am preparing for the extraordinary." - Shalane Flanagan, American long-distance runner and Olympic medalist

• There’s always a point where you get knocked down. But I draw on what I’ve learned on the track: If you work hard, things will work out. - Lolo Jones, American hurdler and bobsledder

Whether you’re a world-class athlete or weekend warrior, use these words of encouragement to fuel your own fire!

Kyle Eng is a college student who loves spending time with his family, playing music and watching his Carolina Tar Heels — and Tom Brady — win.

Recent Sports Articles

Melissa - Girls on the Run coach