I got the following saying that I committed to memory from attending a sports banquet at the University of Pittsburgh and listening to the great golfer Arnold Palmer:

If you think you are beaten, you are;
if you think you dare not, you don't;
if you like to win, but you think you can't
it's almost certain you won't.

Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man,
but sooner or later the man who wins
is the one who thinks he can.

"DON'T QUIT" Author Unknown

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will.
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
 

Life is queer with the twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
When he might have won had he stuck it out:
Don't give up though the pace seems slow.
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worse,
that you must not quit.

"It's not whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game!"

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Steve Prefontaine

John Wooden Quotes

"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."

Pyramid of Success (with questions)

Believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

It doesn’t matter what you start out as.  It matters what you turn yourself into.

We do not stop exercising because we grow old. We grow old because we stop exercising.

Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.

I'm not telling you it is going to be easy - I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.

Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.

Strength of mind is exercise, not rest.

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.

People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success

Only a person that has done nothing, is sure that nothing can be done;
Do what you love…love what you do…and deliver more than you promise;
We are judged by what we finish, not by what we start;
A good team is a collection of diverse people who respect each other and are committed to each other’s successes.

I run because it’s my passion, and not just a sport. Every time I walk out the door, I know why I’m going where I’m going and I’m already focused on that special place where I find my peace and solitude. Running, to me, is more than just a physical exercise... it's a consistent reward for victory!

• Always remember, whatever the goal--keep your eye on it.
• Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?
• A winner makes commitments to a goal, a loser makes promises.
• Be satisfied with nothing but your best.
• Don't count the days, make the days count.
• Faith can move mountains, doubt can create them.
• Hard things are put in our way, not to stop us, but to call out our courage and strength.
• He who does not hope to win has already lost.
• Ideas never work unless you do.
• If you are good, be better.
• If you do not consciously form good habits, you will unconsciously form bad ones.
• If you give everything your best shot, you will come out on top no matter what the score.
• It's what you have left after you give 100%.
• Leadership by example is the most difficult, but also the most beneficial.
• Losers let it happen, winners make it happen.
• Life's greatest adventure is in doing one's very best.
• Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.
• Only those risking to go far will ever know how far they can go.
• Only a mediocre person is always at his best.
• Practice is 90% physical-10% mental. Championship meets are 10% physical-90% mental.
• Pride, intense pride, that's what it all comes down to.
• People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they themselves discovered than by those which have come from others.
• People who feel good about themselves produce good results.
• Success does not rest.
• Take all defeats as temporary setbacks.
• The road to success is always under construction.
• There is always room at the top.
• The will to win is not nearly so important as the will to prepare to win.
• The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.
• The future belongs to those who prepare for it.
• The height of your success is determined by the depth of your belief.
• The harder your work, the luckier you get.
• The hardest thing about climbing the ladder of success is getting through the crowd at the bottom.
• The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond into the impossible.
• Trust your hopes, not your fears.
• There are going to be times when everything succeeds, but don't worry, it will pass.
• There is a big difference between wanting to and willing to.
• There is no substitute for hard work and effort beyond the call of mere duty. That is what strengthens the soul and one's character.
• Tough times never last, but tough people do.
• We accomplish in proportion to what we attempt.
• When you are behind, don't give up; when you are ahead, don't let up.
• Winning isn't everything, but trying to is.
• Winners are workers.
• Winners make goals, losers make excuses.
• A winner solves his problems, but a loser is defeated by his.
• Winning is seeing improvement in yourself.
• Work hard -- rest hard.
• Winners make it happen -- losers let it happen.
• Win or lose, playing at all is winning.
• You can motivate by fear and reward, but these are temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation.
• You can always better your best.
• You can't do anything by doing nothing.
• You get good at what you practice.
• Your toughest opponent is in the mirror.