Poll: Top 25 Inspirational Quotes by Olympic Legends

Results of 140 votes:

1. 1.
   

   Usain Bolt

    

   (Jamaica gold medalist in track and field sprint): "Worrying gets you nowhere. If you turn up worrying about how you're going to perform, you've already lost. Train hard, turn up, run your best a…
2. 2.
   

   Kristi Yamaguchi

    

   (USA gold medalist in skating): "Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons in life."
3. 3.
   

   Michael Phelps

    

   (USA gold medalist in swimming): "You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get."
4. 4.
   

   McKayla Maroney

    

   (USA gold medalist in gymnastics): "Don’t practice till you get it right, practice till you can’t get it wrong."
5. 5.
   

   Dara Torres

    

   (USA gold medalist in swimming): "Never put an age limit on your dreams."
6. 6.
   

   Michael Jordan

    

   (USA gold medalist in Men's Basketball): "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.&qu…
7. 7.
   

   Mia Hamm

    

   (USA gold medalist in women’s football): "I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match."
8. 8.
   

   Jesse Owens

    

   (USA gold medalist in track and field): "We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort."
9. 9.
   

   Andre Agassi

    

   (USA gold medalist in tennis): "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 meani…
10. 10.
    

    Muhammad Ali

     

    (USA gold medalist in boxing): "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."
11. 11.
    

    Emil Zátopek

     

    (Czechoslovakia gold medalist in long-distance running): "If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It’s raining? That doesn’t matte…
12. 12.
    

    Gabby Douglas

     

    (USA gold medalist in gymnastics): "The hard days are the best because that’s where champions are made."
13. 13.
    

    Mark Spitz

     

    (USA gold medalist in swimming): "If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail."
14. 14.
    

    Katie Taylor

     

    (Ireland gold medalist in boxing): "Only the strongest shoulders can carry the hopes of a nation."
15. 15.
    

    Kristin Armstrong

     

    (USA gold medalist in cycling): "Embrace your sweat. It is your essence and your emancipation."
16. 16.
    

    Jackie Joyner

     

    (USA gold medalist in track and field): "Age is no barrier. It's a limitation you put on your mind."
17. 17.
    

    Mary Lou Retton

     

    (USA gold medalist in gymnastics): "Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and keep it lit."
18. 18.
    

    Dan Gable

     

    (USA gold medalist in wrestling): "Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts."
19. 19.
    

    Dawn Fraser

     

    (Australia gold medalist in swimming): "Make yourself an example, achieve it, but don’t hurt anyone on the way up. I don’t think I did that."
20. 20.
    

    Florence Griffith Joyner

     

    (USA gold medalist in track and field sprint): "If you want to run as fast as the men, you've got to train like the men."
21. 21.
    

    Sanya Richards-Ross

     

    (USA gold medalist in track and field): "Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle."
22. 22.
    

    Carl Lewis

     

    (USA gold medalist in track and field): "If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win."
23. 23.
    

    Gail Devers

     

    (USA gold medalist in track and field): "Remember all things are possible for those who believe."
24. 24.
    

    Bobby Knight

     

    (USA gold medalist in basketball): "The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important."
25. 25.
    

    Wilma Rudolph

     

    (USA gold medalist in track and field sprint): "Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirits."