Michael Jordan Quotes

"I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."

"My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength."

"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."

"You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them."

"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."

"If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome."

"I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come."

"The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can't let yourself be beat because of lack of effort."

"To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish."

"If you do the work, you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life."

"I've never been afraid to fail."

"Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion."

"You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them."

"Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation."

"I play to win, whether during practice or a real game."

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game."

"My heroes are and were my parents. I can't see having anyone else as my heroes."

"My father used to say that it's never too late to do anything you wanted to do. And he said, 'You never know what you can accomplish until you try."

"I want to be the bridge to the next generation."

"The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace."

"My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldn't stand the sideline."

"I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot. When you think about the consequences, you always think of a negative result."

"I believe greatness is an evolutionary process that changes and evolves era to era."

"When I lose the sense of motivation and the sense to prove something as a basketball player, it's time for me to move away from the game."

"There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player, and I don't believe there is only one greatest player either."

"I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges."

"The minute you get away from fundamentals—whether it's proper technique, work ethic or mental preparation—the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you're doing."

"You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise."

"Excellence isn't a one-week or one-year ideal. It's a constant."

"Enjoy every minute of life. Never second-guess life."

"Winning isn't always championships."

"I want to wake up every day and do whatever comes in my mind, and not feel pressure or obligations to do anything else in my life."

"I built my talents on the shoulders of someone else's talent."

"I'm not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat."

"Sometimes you need to get hit in the head to realize that you're in a fight."

"Every time I feel tired while I am exercising and training, I close my eyes to see that picture, to see that list with my name. This usually motivates me to work again."

"If it turns out that my best wasn't good enough, at least I won't look back and say I was afraid to try."

"Some people wish for it, some people hope for it, and others make it happen through hard work and determination."

"I hope the millions of people I've touched have the optimism and desire to share their goals and hard work and persevere with a positive attitude."

"Be true to the game, because the game will be true to you. If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. If you put forth the effort, good things will be bestowed upon you."

"Even when I'm old and grey, I won't be able to play it, but I'll still love the game."

"Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night."

"When I leave the game I'll leave on top. That's the only way I'll walk away. I don't want to leave after my feet have slowed, my hands aren't as quick or my eyesight isn't as sharp."

"The only thing that matters to me now is winning championships. I don't care about individual awards or accolades. Whatever they are, I've already got them. Just give me more rings."

"I saw some Dream Teamers dog it in practice before the Olympics. I looked at them and I knew that's what separates me from them."

"To have kids, that makes it easy to get through any problem. Everything I've done on the basketball court, in business, nothing compares to having them."

"The first thing I do when I walk onto the court is to find my wife or family if they are coming to the game. I can't relax and play the game until I find out where they are sitting and I know that they've arrived safely."

"I've always been a competitor. I have to compete at everything I do, whether it's basketball, golf, or even a simple game with friends."

"My competitive nature is that I want to succeed. It's always been said that when I can't find a way to do anything, I will find a way to do it."

"The game of basketball has been everything to me. My place of refuge, place I've always gone where I needed comfort and peace."

"It’s a relationship that has evolved over time, given me the greatest respect and love for the game."

"I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant."

"I've always believed that the best way to prove yourself is to keep working and let your performance speak for you."

"I never thought a role model should be negative. I try to be a role model for Black kids, white kids, yellow kids, green kids."

"I want to be the best basketball player that I can be. I want to be the best that ever played the game."

"I've always been willing to take the big shot. I don't care what the situation is. I want the ball in my hands."

"Winning has a price. And leadership has a price."

"My mentality was to go out and win at any cost. If you don't want to live that regimented mentality, then you don't need to be alongside of me."

"If you don't get on the same level, then it's going to be hell for you."

"I've always been a firm believer that if you put in the work, the results will come."

"I don't need to be motivated by anybody. I motivate myself."

"I've reached the pinnacle of my career. I just feel that I don't have anything else to prove."

"When I lose the sense of motivation and the sense of 'to prove something' as a basketball player, it's time for me to move away from the game of basketball."

"I'm retired 99.9%. Of course, there always is that .1%."

"I'm back for the second time."

"There will be a player greater than me."

"I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. I approached everything step by step."

"I can remember a game, we were down with about 5 to 10 points, I go off about 25 points, we come back and win the game, we're walking off the floor. Tex looks at me and says, 'There's no I in team!' I looked at Tex and said, 'There's not, but there's an I in win!"

"By no means in this world can you ever live up to someone else's expectations of who you are."

"I always thought I would be a professional athlete. I always loved sports. I knew one thing I didn't want was a job. Me and working were never best friends. I enjoyed playing."

"I've always tried to be a good teammate and do whatever it takes to help my team win."

"I don't want to be remembered as just a basketball player. I want to be remembered as someone who made a difference."

"The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do."

"Sometimes, you have to take a step back to move forward."

"I never lost a game. I just ran out of time."

"I've always been a winner. I don't know how to lose."

"I don't need to be the best player in the world. I just need to be the best player I can be."

"I'm not afraid of challenges. I welcome them because they make me better."

"It's not about how many times you fall down. It's about how many times you get back up."

"Every day is an opportunity to get better. You have to take advantage of it."

"I want to be remembered for the way I played the game, the way I treated people, and the way I competed."

"Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat."

"I've always believed that if you put your mind to something and work hard, you can accomplish anything."

"I don't want to look back on my career and wonder what could have been. I want to know that I gave everything I had."

"I've learned that you can't be afraid to fail. Failure is part of the process of becoming successful."