10 (More) Inspirational Sports Quotes To Make You a Better Entrepreneur
Because athletes don’t have a monopoly on striving for greatness!
Lots of readers seemed to enjoy my previous article discussing 10 inspirational sports quotes in relation to entrepreneurship. As the article mentions, I decided to write it after encountering a list of 100 famous sports quotes. More importantly, I wasn’t particularly picky about which quotes I chose. Instead, the vast majority of sports quotes on the list could just as easily have been used to describe entrepreneurship.
In that spirit, since the first list was such a big hit, and since, as Billie Jean King once said, “Champions keep playing until they get it right,” I’m sharing a second list!
Here are another 10 inspirational sports quotes that will (hopefully) inspire you to be a better entrepreneur:
#10
“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins, but how they can recover when they fall.”
— Serena Williams
It’s easy to succeed when everything is going right. Unfortunately, in entrepreneurship, everything is rarely going right. That’s why entrepreneurs, like athletes, aren’t defined by how great they are in the good times. They’re defined by how great they are in the most difficult times.
#9
“I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.”
— Kobe Bryant
Startups are always getting compared with the companies that came before them. It’s “Uber for Pets.” It’s “the next Amazon.” It’s “got the quality of Apple, only at half the price.”
While I understand and appreciate how comparing startups to existing companies helps consumers contextualize what kinds of services the startups provide, entrepreneurs should never worry about how their businesses compare with others. The best entrepreneurs stay focused on what they’re building, and they don’t worry about how they might look in relation to something/someone else.
#8
“I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me. And the one guy who didn’t vote for me, thank you, too.”
— Shaquille O’Neal
If you don’t have a chip on your shoulder — if you don’t have doubters — you’ll lose your edge. That’s what Shaq is trying to tell us here. Praise, awards, and public adoration are all traps that inevitably lead to failure. In the entrepreneurial world, you need to learn to appreciate criticism just as much as you enjoy praise. Let the critics push you to be even better.
#7
“Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do.”
— John Wooden
When you’re a founder building a startup, you’re going to be saddled with an unbelievable and sometimes crushing amount of limitations.
So what?
You’re an entrepreneur, and that means it’s your job to figure out how to accomplish whatever your startup needs you to accomplish despite the limitations.
#6
“You can motivate by fear, and you can motivate by reward. But both those methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation.”
— Homer Rice
I honestly had no idea who Homer Rice was when I first read this quote. Apparently, he was a good high school football coach and a mediocre (at best) college and pro football coach who’s mostly remembered for being in charge of athletics at Georgia Tech.
Somehow, that bio makes his quote even more relevant. It’s a quote about the importance of self-motivation, which he clearly had during a career that likely saw some big ups and downs.
Entrepreneurs also have careers that are full of ups and downs. You’ll have great days. You’ll have terrible days. But, no matter what happens, the motivation to keep going needs to come from one place: you!
#5
“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”
— Hank Aaron
Any honest story about how someone became a successful athlete will reference the importance of hard work. So will any story about how someone became a successful entrepreneur. That’s because being truly elite at something — whether it’s on the field or in the office — requires huge amounts of persistence in the face of enormous challenges and friction.
Keep that in mind as you grow your business. You’re going to struggle. In fact, you have to struggle. It’s inevitable.
When you do face whatever inevitable challenges you’re going to encounter as an entrepreneur, remind yourself of Hank Aaron’s famous words: “The only thing to do [is] keep swinging.”
#4
“It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there.”
— Mia Hamm
Lots of entrepreneurs assume that the hardest part about entrepreneurship is becoming successful, but that’s wrong.
As Mia Hamm reminds us, what happens once you’re successful is even harder. In other words, don’t be surprised that, when good things start happening on your startup journey, life won’t get any easier.
#3
“If you have everything under control, you’re not moving fast enough.”
— Mario Andretti
In auto racing, the person who wins the race is the person who can drive their car at the peak of its physical limits without going over. That requires operating a car faster than any human can while still being in full control, which means the best drivers have to take risks. It’s unavoidable.
Entrepreneurs have to do the same thing. Sure, the consequences for screwing up aren’t as likely to end in a fiery crash, but an entrepreneur’s worst enemy is perfection. Don’t try to make sure everything is right. Be willing to build your startup a little out of control.
#2
“There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between.”
— Pat Riley
As Pat Riley points out, in sports, commitment is black or white… you’re either in or out.
Entrepreneurial commitment might not seem as definitive. After all, plenty of entrepreneurs run small side hustles or work on their startups at night while maintaining a “day job.” However, ultimately, anything less than full commitment isn’t going to produce the kind of outcome you’re hoping for..
#1
“During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.”
— Mickey Mantle
When we look at the most successful people in any field, we see their successes. But, as the great Mickey Mantle reminds us, we can’t let their enormous successes prevent us from appreciating all their failures.
Entrepreneurship is the same. All the great entrepreneurs failed, and so will you.
You will fail.
You will fall a lot.
The sooner you accept this, the sooner you’ll learn to appreciate how your failures are a necessary step on your journey toward greatness.
