Inspiring Olympic Quotes: A Powerful Collection to Motivate Your Journey

"Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work."

- Andre Agassi

"The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important."

- Bobby Knight

"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

"You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get."

- Michael Phelps

"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

"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

"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does — that makes you a winner right there."

- Venus Williams

"The hard days are the best because that’s where champions are made."

- Gabby Douglas

"Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons in life."

- Kristi Yamaguchi

"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

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

- Steve Prefontaine

"Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up."

- Dean Karnazes

"Skill is only developed by hours and hours of work."

- Usain Bolt

"Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work. I had to put in the time to get back. And it was a grind. It meant training and sweating every day. But I was completely committed to working out to prove to myself that I still could do it."

- Andre Agassi

"Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts."

- Dan Gable

"If you fail to prepare, you've prepared to fail."

- Mark Spitz

"Winning doesn't always mean being first. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before."

- Bonnie Blair

"Are you going to stand or are you going to crumble? In the face of everything, stand still."

- Gabby Douglas

"Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons of life."

- Kristi Yamaguchi

"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

"If you dream and allow yourself to dream, you can do anything."

- Clara Hughes

"Without passion, you won't do something 100 percent. That's the bottom line."

- Apolo Ohno

"To win, you have to risk loss."

- Jean-Claude Killy

"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

"Never put an age limit on your dreams."

- Dara Torres

"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

"Remember all things are possible for those who believe."

- Gail Devers

"Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirits."

- Wilma Rudolph

"When anyone tells me I can’t do anything, I’m just not listening anymore."

- Florence Griffith Joyner

"You will always miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take."

- Wayne Gretzky

"If you don’t have confidence you’ll always find a way not to win."

- Carl Lewis

"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

"I work hard. And I do good. And I’m going to enjoy myself. I’m not going to let you restrict me."

- Usain Bolt

"If you think you’re done, you always have at least 40 percent more."

- Lauren Crandall

"Oh shoot, I am incredible."

- Noah Lyles

"It's all about the journey, not the outcome."

- Carl Lewis

"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

"Don’t practice till you get it right, practice till you can’t get it wrong."

- McKayla Maroney

"You take a crash, you get back up, and next time you succeed and that's a great feeling."

- Shaun White

"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

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."

- Muhammad Ali

"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

"Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can't handle!"

- Sanya Richards Ross

"Don't ever let your memories be bigger than your dreams."

- Jim Craig

"This is my day. This is my purpose. I'm not afraid to win."

- Kayla Harrison

"In the midst of an ordinary training day, I try to remind myself that I am preparing for the extraordinary."

- Shalane Flanagan

"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

"It's not always about being the best; it's about being my personal best and having fun and trying to always stay in a positive place."

- Jamie Anderson

"Once you mentally prepare yourself to do the jump, that is really half the battle. … You’re so closed off mentally because of the fear of doing. But once you’re able to set that aside, a lot of things can happen."

- Nathan Chen

"At the end of the day, obviously there is going to be some pressure that comes along with it, but at the same time it’s like, you know, ‘Wow, these people really believe in me and have all this confidence in me.’ I think that pushes me to be better and motivates me."

- Chloe Kim

"You can create your own miracle, but you do it by never looking past all the little steps along the way."

- Mikaela Shiffrin

"My sports made me a more focused, sharper, more determined and stronger person than I was before. It’s a mental game — the stronger you are the better you are."

- Kiran Khan

"Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle!"

- Sanya Richards-Ross

"I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet."

- Nadia Comaneci

"It’s all about the journey, not the outcome."

- Carl Lewis

"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

"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

"If you think you're done, you always have at least 40 percent more."

- Lauren Crandall

"I also realize that winning doesn't always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself."

- Meb Keflezighi

"Everybody has a talent, but it's what you do with that talent to make it great."

- Alex Morgan

"Our parents have supported and encouraged us to follow our dreams. Knowing that we’ve had that unconditional love has meant a lot to the both of us."

- Maia and Alex Shibutani

"I didn't lose the gold. I won the silver."

- Michelle Kwan

"The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours."

- Peggy Fleming

"Don’t ever let your memories be bigger than your dreams."

- Jim Craig

"I know that God is working through me within this sport. I know he’s put me here for a purpose and it’s not just to win medals."

- Elana Meyers

"Only the strongest shoulders can carry the hopes of a nation."

- Katie Taylor

"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

"I hope that this medal inspires the kids at home to put down guns and knives and pick up a pair of trainers instead."

- Erick Barrondo

"The world never puts a price on you higher than the one you put on yourself."

- Sonja Henie

"We have the can-do factor, and us doing what we do I think inspires people to just try that little bit harder, whether they are able-bodied or disabled."

- Lee Pearson

"I didn’t lose the gold. I won the silver."

- Michelle Kwan

"I actually had a ref tell me that I needed to get my emotions in check. That just heightened my emotions even more, so I kept my cool by continuing to be me. To that ref, I'm going to keep yelling, I'm going to keep screaming, I'm going to keep cussing, because that's the game that I play."

- A’ja Wilson

"I have a rule on my team: When we talk to one another, we look each other right in the eye, because I think it’s tough to lie to somebody. You give respect to somebody."

- Mike Krzyzewski

"I'd love to."

- Katie Ledecky

"lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions"

- Simone Biles

"It was our family’s dream, my dream, to get into the Olympic Games. That didn’t come true previously. But it’s OK. I’m now 58 years old, my dad is 92 years old. I finally made that dream come true for him."

- Zhiying Zeng

"I had goosebumps on the podium. I felt really proud to be myself, and to be French."

- Léon Marchand

"True heroes are made of hard work and integrity."

- Hope Solo

"Whenever I get really nervous, I start laughing uncontrollably. That helps me."

- Maame Biney

"I don’t think you’re human if you don’t get nervous."

- Sidney Crosby

"This ability to conquer oneself is no doubt the most precious of all things sports bestows."

- Olga Korbut

"You're literally fighting another man, to the death, for six minutes. It's the closest thing to gladiator sport that we have. Countries or provinces or cities that are wrestling-rich will see those values. It breeds great people."

- Myles Amine

"We are the best team if we play at 100%. It’s not arrogant. It's realistic."

- Joosje Burg

"It’s really hard in basketball to do something that the Barry family hasn’t already accomplished. They have NCAA championships, NBA championships, all-star games. I mean, my brother won the dunk contest. We’ve crossed out a lot on that list."

- Canyon Barry

"We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise."

- Jordan Chiles

"I have a thing where I just want to land stuff and not die, basically. It's what's fun about it."

- Poe Pinson

"We talk about the cat and the cheese. The cat is threats and the cheese is rewards. Are you a mouse sniffing around avoiding threat, or are you seeking the reward?"

- Tom Hall

"Nuit Nuit."

- Steph Curry

"In the first arrows, you can see me shaking too much for this type of competition, for this type of sport. And I'm happy about this, because it means that I'm still alive."

- Mauro Nespoli

"A big thing that gets people initially involved is that they want to be Zorro, or they want to be Jack Sparrow, or something like that. But then, once you get into the sport, you're not really thinking about being a pirate any more."

- Blake Broszus

"It is gutting and disappointing, of course it is, but I am proud. I am done now. I am not a gymnast any longer. I have done my final routine and I can be very happy. It just wasn't my day today. It's me done in the sport. It was my last routine."

- Max Whitlock

"I don’t believe in the medical science that says at 40 or 50 years old, you should not do certain things any more. That may be true for people who believe it, but for me, age is just a number."

- Leonel Martinez

"They didn’t even hear what I had to say. I sacrificed everything for this."

- Steven Sabino

"Yes, 100%, you won. … Bring your shoes."

- Sarah Hildebrandt

"I did not need the special equipment. I’m a natural, natural shooter."

- Yusuf Dikec

"I heard that the medals from the Paris Olympics are actually made out of the steel that comes from the Eiffel Tower, so it feels like I’m taking a piece of Paris back home."

- Kim Woo-jin

"I saw it in front of my eyes. I was behind him and I said, ‘Don’t worry, I will talk with your wife. Now you lost a gold but in a few days you will win one more important gold maybe.'"

- Francesco Di Fulvio

"That's what's so cool about this week, this tournament and this whole event, it makes you feel like you're part of something bigger than just golf. Walking around in the [Olympic] Village, the sports nerd in me loves it."

- Ludvig Aberg

"In the quarterfinals, you're either going to paradise or you're going to hell."

- Alessandro Campagna

"A false start on 100m and you have to wait another four years. It puts a bad tee shot on the first in perspective a little bit."

- Tommy Fleetwood

"YEEEEAAAHHHHH!"

- Flavor Flav

"Skateboarding in the Olympic Games isn't much different from skateboarding in my neighborhood. It's just more spectators."

- Zheng Haohao

"One was a North Korean. I'm not going to post it, because I seriously don't know what's going on there, and if it's a bad thing for them to be associated with Americans, but I did get one, and he was very nice. All of these countries are still humans, they're still Olympians, they're still competitors, and we still share that."

- Sam Watson

"He honored his coach by fighting. These coaches are very selfless. They do all the work to get here and for him not to experience that moment is very sad."

- Victor Schelstraete

"When you are five goals ahead and 7,000 French people boo, I don't think there are many other feelings that are better than that."

- Kristian Skinstad Saeveraas

"One large beer, or two, or three, or five. I don’t know."

- Jo-Ane van Dyk

"I have never been hit so hard in my life."

- Angela Carini

"Water tastes like water."

- Taylor Spivey

"Sunday evening I partied till four in the night. Then I had a full day on the bed. Then I went to a restaurant. Tuesday I went on the bike and again to a restaurant. Then we flew here for the recon. And then I had a very long night of sleep."

- Remco Evenepoel

"We're in France, in Paris, and I love assimilating to different cultures and whatnot. I know this is about as stereotypical as you can get … I've already had a bunch of croissants and baguettes too, I just didn't carry them with me to the game."

- Jason Kelce

"The fact that I hugged Jason Kelce, who has probably hugged Taylor Swift, is keeping me up at night."

- Sophia Gladieux

"The French crowds are incredible. Obviously, they're very patriotic for the French. Not so much for me."

- Victor Koretzky

"Normally we would talk -– who is taking the middle and some reminders — but sometimes the music and the fans were so loud that I had to really shout as loud as I could. He never listens to me, anyway."

- Nils Ehlers

"My aim was somewhere between sobering up and getting a few more miles. Back in the days when I had nights out till three or four in the morning, once or twice I’d do that."

- Josh Kerr

"I haven't seen Snoop Dogg yet. He should come down here and commentate on the sailing. I think that would be hilarious. Especially on our medal races. I think that would be epic. I'll have to get him out on the water."

- Daniela Moroz

"This weather in Paris is too hot for me. So I put the bed on the balcony. It was a bit rainy, so my neighbor put it inside because there was a lot of water on the balcony. When I came back to the room, I put it back outside."

- Mykhaylo Kokhan

"POV: you make more buzz for your package than for your performances."

- Anthony Ammirati

"Ask the Americans, I wasn't in it much that week."

- Rory McIlroy

"In France, we are [a] republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey."

- Thomas Jolly

"I heard [tennis legend] Andy Murray couldn’t get tickets to athletics. I talked to someone last night who was from athletics, and she was like, ‘Andy Murray just hit me up for tickets, but I couldn’t help him out.’ If Andy Murray can’t get tickets, I definitely can’t get tickets."

- Andy Macdonald

"This is a movie. My life is a movie right now."