Michael Jordan

“One day, you might look up and see me playing the game at 50. Don't laugh. Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.”

“I am free to make anything I want as long as I think it will sell.”

“I do not have a problem, I enjoy gambling, but I think people are trying to make it seem like I have a problem, because people really don't know.”

“I basically expect anything. Isn't that wild? I used to surprise myself a lot: certain moves, how I'd get out of trouble. But at some point, you accept the talent that you have, you accept your creativity.”

“There's only one Michael Jordan.”

“If you don't back it up with performance and hard work, talking doesn't mean a thing.”

“The greatest people that ever lived were also the greatest failures. They just didn’t let those failures affect them like they do most.”

“I never feared about my skills because I put in the work. Work ethic eliminates fear. So if you put forth the work, what are you fearing? You know what you're capable of doing and what you're not.”

“Enjoy every minute of life. Never second-guess life.”

“Number 45 doesn't explode like Number 23 used to.”

“My fellow Wilmington, North Carolina native Meadowlark Lemon is a true national treasure. I watched him play for the Harlem Globetrotters when I was growing up and his skill with the basketball and dedication to the game were an inspiration not only to me, but to kids all around the world.”

“If I have something and move forward, it is only my weakness, which I hate and turn into my strength. You are not lost as long as you do not give up!”

“When I got cut from the varsity team as a sophomore in high school, I learned something. I knew I never wanted to feel that bad again. I never wanted to have that taste in my mouth, that hole in my stomach. So I set a goal of becoming a starter on the varsity.”

“Heart is what separates the good from the great.”

“We're not winning because of talent. We're just beating bad teams.”

“I missed 9000 shots in my career, lost almost 300 games and missed the shot to win the game 26 times.”

“Patience. I will become what I know I am.”

“Maybe it’s my own fault. Maybe I led you to believe it was easy when it wasn’t. Maybe I made you think my highlights started at the free throw line, and not in the gym. Maybe I made you think that every shot I took was a game winner. That my game was built on flash, and not fire. Maybe it’s my fault that you didn’t see that failure gave me strength; that my pain was my motivation. Maybe I led you to believe that basketball was a God given gift, and not something I worked for every single day of my life. Maybe I destroyed the game. Or maybe you’re just making excuses.”

“Each time I step on the basketball court, I never know what will happen. I live for the moment. I play for the moment.”

“So, the next time you're out working on your game and they pass you the rock, don't just take it to the hole. Take it to the next level. Don't just bend rims. Bend expectations. Let them see you and feel you and by the very virtue of your love, the truth in your game, they will hear you. Let your game speak.”

“Ultimately, if you can say that I'm a bad owner and we're winning championships, I can live with that. But if we're not making the playoffs and we're spending and losing money, then I have to look in the mirror and say maybe I'm not taking the necessary steps to doing what it takes to run an organization.”

“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.”

“If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.”

“I would tell players to relax and never think about what's at stake. Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you've lost your focus.”

“I'm patient.”

“You're an idiot. You've screwed up every play we ever ran. You're too stupid to even remember the plays. We ought to get rid of you.”

“I know what I would do if I were coach. I'd determine our strengths and weaknesses and utilize them. And it's pretty clear what our strength is.”

“I can't speak for the future. I have no crystal ball.”

“Winners don't just learn the fundamentals, they master them. You have to monitor your fundamentals constantly because the only thing that changes will be your attention to them.”

“Success isn't something you chase. It's something you have to put forth the effort for constantly. Then maybe it'll come when you least expect it. Most people don't understand that.”

“I knew where I wanted to go, what kind of player I wanted to become and I focused on getting there.”

“Anything can happen if you are willing to put in the work and remain open to the possibility. Dreams are realized by effort, determination, passion and staying connected to that sense of who you are.”

“Life is a sport...drink it up.”

“A loss is not a failure until you make an excuse.”

“All I wanted to do was to improve, to keep getting better.”

“Limits, like fear, is often an illusion.”

“I didn't come here to be average.”

“If you pass the ball to Bill Cartwright, you'll never get the ball from me.”

“I've had tendinitis since college.”

“The basketball court for me, during a game, is the most peaceful place I can imagine. On the basketball court, I worry about nothing. When I'm out there, no one can bother me.”

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

“Live the moment for the moment.”

“All I knew is that I NEVER wanted to be AVERAGE.”

“I have failed many times, and that's why I am a success.”

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

“Being afraid on the court, means you're not confident of your skills”

“Look me in the eye. It’s ok if you’re scared. So am I. But we are scared for different reasons. I am scared of what I won’t become. And you are scared of what I could become. Look at me. I won’t let myself end where I started. I won’t let myself finish where I began. I know what is within me, even if you can’t see it yet. Look me in the eyes. I have something more important than courage. I have patience. I will become what I know I am.”

“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 (Winter) looks at me and says "There's no "I" in team!" I looked at Tex and say, "There's not, but there's an 'I' in win!”

“I truly love the game; I wouldn't be playing if I didn't love the game. I'm not getting paid astronomical dollars; it's truly for the love of the game of basketball.”

“How many times have your parents told you not to do things, and the next thing you know, you go do it? And you realized you shouldn't have done it.”