28 Champion Quotes from the True Champion Michael Jordan

My attitude is, if you push me toward something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.I'm back!: more rare air by Michael Jordan (1995), Page 28

The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace.Newsweek (January 5, 1987), Page 47

Authenticity is about being true to who you are, even when everyone around you wants you to be someone else.Driven from Within (2005), Page 135

There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player, and I don’t believe there is only one greatest player either.For the Love of the Game: My Story by Michael Jordan (1998)

When I was young, I had to learn the fundamentals of basketball. You can have all the physical ability in the world, but you still have to know the fundamentals.Michael Jordan: basketball's best by Chip Lovitt (2002), Page 31

Excellence isn’t a one-week or one-year ideal. It’s a constant.Driven from Within (2005), Page 52

You have competition every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that.Jordan on Jordan by Jan Hubbard, Hoop Magazine (April 1997)

You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.Michael Jordan: Phenomenon by Mark Vancil, Hoop Magazine (December 1991)

Sometimes you need to get hit in the head to realize that you’re in a fight.Even this Wizard couldn't end curse by Joseph White, The Free lance-Star (April 13, 2003)

I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot… when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive by Jim Afremow (2014), Page 85

My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldn’t stand the sideline.Words of Wit, Wisdom, and Inspiration by and about Michael Jordan, Basketball's Greatest Superstar by Pat Williams (2004), Page 78

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.Jordan on Jordan by Jan Hubbard, Hoop Magazine (April 1997)

Enjoy every minute of life. Never second-guess life.How to be like Mike by Pat Williams, Michael Weinreb (2001), Page 58

If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them – everybody has had them. But 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.Basketball Blood: Becoming More by Being Your Best by Ryan Cuff (2008), Page 82

Success to me has nothing to do with how much money you have or what kind of car you drive.Driven from Within (2005), Page 134

I mean we all fly. Once you leave the ground, you fly. Some people fly longer than others.Michael Jordan still flying high by Daniel Schorn, CBS news (October 23, 2005)

Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night.Collins can feel Jordan's pain by Bob Maaddi, Bangor Daily News (November 30, 2001)

Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.Michael Jordan: A Shooting Star by George W. Beahm (1994), Page 114

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.As quoted in Nike Culture: The Sign of the Swoosh by Robert Goldman and Stephen Papson (1998), Page 49

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.I Can't Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence (HarperSanFrancisco, 1994), Page 12

I’ve never been afraid to fail.Michael Jordan signs a minor league contract by Rick Gano, The Daily Courier (February 8, 1994)

Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.Michael Jordan: Hall of Fame Basketball Superstar by Nathan Aaseng (2014), Page 61

Fear is an illusion. You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there. What is there is an opportunity to do your best and gain some success.I Can't Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence (HarperSanFrancisco, 1994), Page 9

The best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are.Anything You Can Do, I Do Better by William C. Rhoden, The New York Times (January 20, 2000)

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.I Can't Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence (HarperSanFrancisco, 1994), Page 24

I hope that it’s given the millions of people that I’ve touched the optimism and the desire to achieve their goals through hard work, perseverance, and positive attitude.Michael Jordan: Hall of Fame Basketball Superstar by Nathan Aaseng (2014), Page 61

I play to win. Whether during practice or a real game. I don’t play just for money of fun. I play to win fair and square. And I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.Jet Magazine (February 8, 1988), Volume 73, No. 19, Page 40

Winning isn’t always championships.Jordan's Return Official by Joseph White, The Ledger (September 26, 2001)

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.No source

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.No source

If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.No source

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. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don’t isolate.No source

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. That’s truly about the game, and in some ways that’s about life too.No source