Michael Jordan Inspirational Quotes

Intro

Michael Jordan recently sold the Charlotte Hornets, and while he no longer has a direct connection to the NBA, his legacy will live on forever. We've previously written about Mike's business moves with The Jordan Brand, as well as our favorite Michael Jordan biographies. Business and books aside, today we revisit the archives and put the microscope on some of the things that he's said over the years. If you're in need of some work out quotes for the gym or just a good mental re-set for the office, please enjoy our favorite Michael Jordan quotes. 

Michael Jordan Motivational Quotes

Here are 25 famous quotes from His Airness:

1. "I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."
2. "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."
3. "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six 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."
4. "You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them."
5. "I play to win, whether during practice or a real game."
6. "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."
7. "I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it is an illusion to me. Failure always made me try harder the next time."
8. "My heroes are and were my parents. I can't see having anyone else as my heroes."
9. "I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot... when you think about the consequences, you always think of a negative result."
10. "My father used to say that it's never too late to do anything you wanted to do. And he said, 'You never know what you can accomplish until you try.'"
11. "Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."
12. "I never thought a role model should be negative."
13. "The game of basketball has been everything to me. My place of refuge, place I've always gone where I needed comfort and peace. It's been the site of intense pain and the most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. It's a relationship that has evolved over time, given me the greatest respect and love for the game."
14. "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."
15. "I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges."
16. "I'm not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat."
17. "I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life, I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it."
18. "I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come."
19. "The best come from the worst."
20. "There's only one Michael Jordan."
21. "I never lost a game; I just ran out of time."
22. "Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation."
23. "The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace."
24. "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."
25. "I built my talents on the shoulders of someone else's talent."

For More

For more inspirational quotes, please check out the quotes section of our blog. 

The following pages have more basketball content and a list of our favorite basketball books ever written.