We can try to hype you up all day to encourage you to get to the gym, but sometimes the biggest motivation should come from the pros. Here are some quotes from famous athletes that will inspire you no matter what your fitness goals are.
1. “If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?”
— Joe Namath, Hall of Fame football quarterback (1965-1977)
2. “Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her.”
— Mia Hamm, award-winning professional soccer player (1987-2004)
3. “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
— Michael Jordan, basketball icon (1984-2003)
4. “In baseball and in business, there are three types of people. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened.”
— Tommy Lasorda, Hall of Fame baseball player and manager (1954-1956, player; 1976-1996, manager)
5. “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
— Derek Jeter, longtime Yankees shortstop (1995-2014)
6. “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”
— Wayne Gretzky, hockey icon (1978–1999)
7. “If you have everything under control, you’re not moving fast enough.”
— Mario Andretti, world champion racing driver (1968-1982)
8. “Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.”
— Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic heptathlon and long jump champion (1984-2000)
9. “Remember this. Hold on to this. This is the only perfection there is, the perfection of helping others. This is the only thing we can do that has any lasting meaning. This is why we’re here.”
— Andre Agassi, award-winning professional tennis player (1986-2006)
10. “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
— Muhammad Ali, World Heavyweight Champion boxer, (1960-1966, 1970-1981)
11. “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.”
— Michael Phelps, Olympic-medal winning swimmer (present)
12. It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.
— Vince Lombardi
13. “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
14. “Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.”
15. “The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.”
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