Michael Jordan Quotes

“I am privileged to have played basketball.”

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

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

“I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results.”

“I didn't come here to be average.”

“I've had tendinitis since college.”

“Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise”

“I smoked my first cigar in 1991, when we won the championship. Up to that point, I had never smoked a cigar, never smoked anything.”

“Being Michael Jordan means acting the same as I always have.”

“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.”

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

“I'm all about challenges and seeing if I can go out and see if I can achieve something. If at the end of the day I do it, great. If I don't, I can live with myself.”

“If nobody will help you do it alone!”

“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'm patient.”

“You have to be able to say, OK, that happened back then. Now let's take it from here and see what happens. It would be very easy to hate people for the rest of your life, and some people have done that. You've got to deal with what's happening now and try to make things better.”

“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.”

“A leader can't make excuses. There has to be quality in everything you do. Off the court, on the court, in the classroom.”

“I like control.”

“A coach is someone that sees beyond your limits and guides you to greatness!”

“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.”

“You remember the [remarks] you made in 1994 about, 'I think I can guard you, I can shut you down, I would love to play against you?' Well, you're about to get your chance.”

“You have to be uncompromised in your level of commitment to whatever you are doing, or it can disappear as fast as it appeared... Excellence isn't a one-week or one-year ideal. It's a constant. There will be days when you don't feel on top of your game, or meetings in which you aren't at your best, but your commitment remains constant. No compromises.”

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

“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.”