Good Athlete Quotes

#1. My father was a really good athlete, so his pop-ups really were sky high. Eventually I learned how to judge them properly and catch them well. It was great training for when I started to play on teams, which I did all through school.

Artie Lange

#2. I've always felt I should do things 100 percent or not do them. It's all or nothing. That's what makes me a good athlete - doing things with all the 'ganas' I can.

Sergio Garcia

#3. I don't want to get too detailed into it, but when you're a good high school running back, you can almost be whatever type of runner you want to be. If you're a good size and a good athlete, you can be whatever type of runner you want.

Barry Sanders

#4. My dad was a good athlete. My mom had longevity. There were some athletic genes that certainly got passed down.

Hale Irwin

#5. If a female is good-looking, it totally decreases her credibility. Now she's not a good athlete - she's only good in these track meets because she's good-looking.

Lolo Jones

#6. I like to think of myself as a pretty good athlete, I don't think I'm a great sprinter, but 200, 400, maybe 800. I won't say excel in them, but I'd do pretty good.

Grant Hill

#7. Conor McGregor seems like a good athlete, he seems like a decent counter-puncher. But, he also seems like a scumbag.

Dustin Poirier

#8. You don't have to be pretty for people to come and see you play. At the same time, if you're a good athlete, it doesn't mean you're not a woman.

Martina Navratilova

#9. With basketball, if a guy is having an off night you still can say he's a good athlete. But with a comedian, you see them in front of the wrong audience - and they can look like complete amateurs. It's remarkable.

Gary Gulman

#10. A good athlete always mentally replays a competition over and over, even in victory, to see what might be done to improve the performance the next time.

Frank Shorter

#11. I just started training with the best fighters in the world trying to get better. I was a pretty good athlete so I did pretty well with the team and that gave me confidence that I would be able to compete with people.

Robbie Lawler

#12. They say golf came easy to me because I was a good athlete, but there's not any girl on the LPGA Tour who worked near as hard as I did in golf. It's the toughest game I ever tackled.

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

#13. I later discovered that in order to be a good athlete one must care intensely what is happening with a ball, even if one doesn't have possession of it. This was ultimately my failure: my inability to work up a passion for the location of balls.

Haven Kimmel

#14. I don't know if I'm a good kickball player; I know I'm a good athlete.

Ryan Lochte

#15. Collin Jackson was a little before my time and he was a really good athlete. I've raced with him, but he's now retired. He's a really good role model and someone that I've learnt a lot from.

Liu Xiang

#16. So much of becoming a good athlete involves bringing other things to the table, other than physical skills. It involves intelligence, it involves many of the things that you learn during the process of being educated. How to analyze, how to assess, how to equate, how to reason.

Julius Erving

#17. Good ideas are like Nike sports shoes. They may facilitate success for an athlete who possesses them, but on their own they are nothing but an overpriced pair of sneakers. Sports shoes don't win races. Athletes do.

Felix Dennis

#18. I might not be a great athlete, but I think I'm a real good football player.

Steve Largent

#19. You can't abuse your body and you need to work hard on your weaknesses. Everyone likes to focus on the things they are good at. But when you focus on the things you are weak at, it makes you a much better athlete.

Pat LaFontaine

#20. I do good when people doubt me. When someone says I can't do something, I want to do more. I won't back down from anybody.

Kenyon Martin

#21. Do I midnight snack? Not a lot, but sometimes. And it's usually Doritos Cooler Ranch. I know that's terrible, especially for a pro athlete, but they're just so good.

Clint Mathis

#22. Treat yourself like a fast person with aches and pains and a suitcase full of excuses, and good luck
you'll stay exactly where you are. Train like an athlete and, though you may not look like one now, you will become one.
Push: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, p. 214

Chalene Johnson

#23. There are some good teachers out there, but the only one who is a genius at diagnosing my swing is my mom. She took up golf late, when she was 39, but in her younger days, she was an amazing athlete. She never read an instruction book or took lessons, but she has a remarkable eye for motion.

Boo Weekley

#24. Our children, our grandchildren, our students, our young athletes. We need to be pouring leadership principles into them constantly, and teaching, and instructing them how to become good leaders in the future.

Pat Williams

#25. There's definitely a whole double standard. I don't understand it. A guy can be sexy and good-looking, and it totally just enhances his credibility as an athlete.

Lolo Jones

#26. I definitely feel like I'm more of an artist than an athlete. But I'm good at both.

Johnny Weir

#27. You've got to have great athletes to win, I don't care who the coach is. You can't win without good athletes but you can lose with them. This is where coaching makes the difference.

Lou Holtz

#28. I don't know if I have a brand. I just see myself as an athlete and a competitor, someone who just works really hard at trying to get better at golf. I guess I'm kind of the feel-good story who's seen every level of professional golf.

Zach Johnson

#29. Growing up, I started developing confidence in what I felt. My parents helped me to believe in myself. I wasn't the best looking guy, I wasn't the best athlete in the world, but they made me feel good about myself.

Herschel Walker

#30. What I tell student athletes is first of all, you've made good choices this far in order to be able to be in college and to be an athlete. Keep making good choices.

Condoleezza Rice

#31. Adam [Sandler] is a good basketball player, so he is a natural athlete, he worked with Sean Salisbury to make his footwork and delivery smooth, and he did a great job.

Bill Goldberg

#32. You can no longer just be a good sailor. You have to be an incredible athlete as well. Having said that, you can be a great athlete, the strongest guy in the world, but if you can't anticipate and make decisions under stress and exhaustion and think ahead, then you won't be able to cut it, either.

James Spithill

#33. A heroic moral victory for the New York Mets,. It may be the only kind of victory we're achieving this season, but he set a good example for professional athletes and the rest of us.

David Brooks

#34. If you want to be an athlete, then getting good grades, going to college, and developing your intellectual skills are important.

Tony Dungy

#35. All athletes, without fail, are potentially great and good. A great athlete is a little man tirelessly inspired.

Sri Chinmoy

#36. Once you become a professional athlete or once you do anything well, then you're automatically a role model ... I have no problem being a role model. I love it. I have kids looking up to me and hopefully I inspire these kids to do good things.

LeBron James

#37. Behind me are a hard 2 weeks of training, so I feel a little bit tired right now, but my goal for the race in Cardiff and Pau remains the same as in all races. I want to do well and have good runs and enjoy racing. The results come by itself when I do that.

Peter Kauzer

#38. Even though the Olympics take place during Ramadan, some Muslim athletes said they will not fast during games. Then, after sampling the British food, they said, on second thought, fasting sounds good.

Conan O'Brien

#39. I would never advocate the use of dope because, you know, I'm not a professional athlete and I don't have access to the good stuff.

Greg Proops

#40. My heroes, I couldn't imagine them practicing. Like Bob Dylan, you know? Bob Dylan's a very, very good guitar player, but it's like he's trying to hide it. I always loved this attitude. When you're very good ... it's like being an athlete - and I always hated sports!

Laurent Brancowitz

#41. My recruiting key - I looked for PEOPLE first, athletes second. I wanted people with a sound value system as you cannot buy values. You're only as good as your values. I learned early on that you do not put greatness into people ... but somehow try to pull it out.

Herb Brooks

#42. I don't think there is a perfect athlete. But if I had to come close to picking someone who demonstrates all the traits that I feel an athlete should have, I would say the perfect athlete would be Tiger Woods. He has the ability, he's humble and he's very good at what he does.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

#43. Mediocre athletes that tried like hell to get good are the best coaches.

Mark Rippetoe

#44. If you wanted to show that someone was a good chap, the essence of a good and clean Englishman, you would say that he was an athlete.

David Lagercrantz

#45. I didn't just jump back on the bike and win. There were a lot of ups and downs, good results and bad results, but this time I didn't let the lows get to me.

Lance Armstrong

#46. Baseball people think they can find athletes with good bodies and teach them to play baseball. What's wrong with giving someone who already knows how to play baseball a chance? I think I fall into that category.

Marcus Giles

#47. I think you always strive to get better as an athlete. That's the difference between good and great, in my opinion.

Arian Foster

#48. Good coaching is about leadership and instilling respect in your players. Dictators lead through fear - good coaches do not.

John Wooden

#49. So much of a professional athlete's success depends upon not necessarily the play itself but how he deals with ... always saying how you deal with good, is just as important as how you deal with bad.

Brett Favre

#50. Several of my critics have said, 'Bowerman just tacks up a piece of paper in the locker room and turns his runners loose.' They're partially right. I do give the athletes a relatively free rein and for good reason. One of my principles is? 'Don't overcoach.'

Bill Bowerman

#51. A good professional athlete must have the love of a little boy. And the good players feel the kind of love for the game that they did when they were Little Leaguers.

Tom Seaver

#52. Looking good is important. We're our own premium brand as professional athletes, so you want to be thoughtful about presentation and represent yourself and your city and sport as best you can.

C. J. Wilson

#53. Strive to be the best you can be ... focus, watch, listen, and learn. Try never to be satisfied with 'good enough' ... and above all, love what you do-share that passion with others, and always stay humble. Nobody likes a 'big head' no matter how good you are.

Robby Naish

#54. There were only 170 neurologists in Britain then and, whether spoken or unspoken, there was this insidious feeling. How can Bannister, a mere athlete, probably spoilt by all the publicity and fame, dare aspire to neurology? But I'd done a lot of research, and my academic record was very good.

Roger Bannister

#55. I wish I was a better athlete. That would have been a little cooler, being a great boxer and walking into a room and going: "I can knock everybody out!" That's a good feeling.

Adam Sandler

#56. The problem with being married to an athlete who is, like, 19 feet tall and can just eat, like, 17 burgers at 11 o'clock at night is, you're like, 'I'll have just three of those burgers,' and you think you're being good because he had 19 and you had three!

Kaley Cuoco

#57. If I could change on thing about myself, I would: Have better knees. Mine are shot because of injuries. You're only as good as your legs, whether you're an athlete or an actor.

William Petersen

#58. With F1, it's really a combination of many things. You have to have good endurance, good strength in certain muscles, you need to be fast, have good reactions and good decisions. It's not as simple as one thing. You need to be a complete athlete.

Valtteri Bottas

#59. The prayer offered to God in the morning during your quiet time is the key that unlocks the door of the day. Any athlete knows that it is the start that ensures a good finish.

Adrian Rogers

#60. That's what I wanted! I wanted to be an athlete , I wanted the girls to like me, and I wanted to be able to get good grades in school, and this man said I could do all that.

Jack LaLanne

#61. When I broke into professional hockey at 17 I was told that I was too small and too slow and I wouldn't make the NHL. Now it's kind of flip-flopped and the sense is I can't be a good coach because I was a great athlete.

Wayne Gretzky

#62. Good athletes do not know what tiredness is. They do not know what discouragement is. Good athletes only know what victory is.

Fidel Castro

#63. It's good they're holding the Olympics in the East End of London. Means the athletes will have to use extra skill to work out which gunshot is the starting pistol.

Frankie Boyle

#64. I came back late last night at the Athlete's Village so I'm a little bit surprised about my time this morning. It's really good and I'm going to race tonight and tomorrow night so I'm excited to see what I can do.

Katerine Savard

#65. Athletics brings out a side of you that is wonderful. It brings out so many good attributes like competing, intensity and playing at the highest level.

Julie Foudy

#66. So it is that good warriors take their stance on ground where they cannot lose, and do not overlook conditions that make an opponent prone to defeat.

Sun Tzu

#67. The modern athlete is an individual corporation. I'm not quite sure it's very good for sport, or good for team work, or those different things that sport says it's about. This is about business.

LeBron James

#68. Treat yourself like a fat person with aches and pains and a suitcase full of excuses, and good luck
you'll stay exactly where you are. Train like an athlete and, though you may not look like one now, you will become one.

Chalene Johnson

#69. I like the challenge of getting players to rise to certain levels, but that's the easy part. The biggest challenge is to get them to believe in what we're doing. They have to understand that it's O.K. to have good days and bad days.

Dawn Staley

#70. I just want to continue the success and be an athlete that is shown in a good light in New York City.

Victor Cruz

#71. I wasn't disciplined at all. As good of an athlete as I was, I was not disciplined. Had I had the drive that I have in comedy, and acting, and writing, that's why I knew it just wasn't right for me.

Bernie Mac

#72. I'm a firm believer in quiet confidence. By that I mean knowing inwardly that you are good, and not exhibiting a boastful attitude outwardly. If an athlete doesn't believe in himself, no one else will.

Dick Van Arsdale

#73. I suppose you want me to give certificates to all the contestants? Little plastic trophies to every single athlete or soldier for participation? Should we all line up and shake hands and tell each other, Good game? No!

Rick Riordan

#74. I was an athlete. And I proved I didn't win just because I was pretty. I was good, too.

Katarina Witt

#75. Support the athlete, encourage the team, help the coach. That's what good track parents do.

Don Kardong

#76. Every athlete has training they enjoy and training that they do because they have to and they don't enjoy so much. Do the training you love, remind yourself why you do it and hopefully it'll all come good for you.

Alistair Brownlee

#77. When I look back at the world championships, I know there's a lot of room for improvement, I'm always up for a challenge. The Olympics, they don't define me, I've had some good and some bad. But it's all about the Olympic experience.

Michelle Kwan

#78. What's not realized about good novelists is that they're as competitive as good athletes. They study each other - where the other person is good and where the person is less good. Writers are like that but don't admit it.

Norman Mailer

#79. Obviously, you're known for what you do. But you still want to be known as a good person. You're a person a lot longer before and after you're a professional athlete.

Derek Jeter

#80. Like every other athlete, I always dreamt of playing at the Olympics, and it feels really good to see that dream materialize.

Mary Kom

#81. I'm probably the least flexible athlete you'll find. When it comes to yoga, I can't get in the positions and I can't hold them. You have to be pretty flexible to do it. Once you get certain positions, you have to have the core strength to hold those positions. It's a pretty good workout.

Steve Blake

#82. A jazz musician is a combination orator, dialectician, mathematician, athlete, entertainer, poet, singer, dancer, diplomat, educator, student, comedian, artist, seducer, public masturbator, and general all-round good fellow.

Steve Lacy

#83. You'd definitely think of me more as a good sport than as an athlete.

Gabrielle Burton

#84. The NBA is all about winning, but at this level (college basketball) winning doesn't make you happy. You can win, and play lousy, and in my program, feel lousy. To me it's about: How good can we be.

Geno Auriemma

#85. Before I go out on the field every day, I tell myself, 'You are having fun, and you want to set a good example to those who are watching.

Cory Snyder

#86. I came out of my professional athlete career with a 450 credit score, no money in the bank to show for it, but I had an Ivy League degree. So I put that Dartmouth degree to good use and got a job on Wall Street. I hated it but used the time to make connections and become financially literate.

Brian J. White