Reading through these motivational competition quotes will give you some perspective and help you become a better version of yourself.
Whether it’s inspirational competition quotes, or simply powerful competition quotes, taking a few minutes out to reflect is critical. I hope you’ll find something here that helps you to find a new perspective and improve your own life.
I thought I would compile a list of quotes on competition, which may guide you through life
Best Competition Quotes
Loyalty is still the same, whether it win or lose the game; as true as a dial to the sun, although it be not shined upon. Samuel Butler
Never use the competition as a benchmark W. Chan Kim
I don’t have to wait for nobody, I move when I wanna move. Floyd Mayweather
Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it. Ted Williams
Whether you win or lose, whether you have a good day or bad day, God is with you; He loves you. Luci Swindoll
Competition is a rude yet effective motivation. Toba Beta
It’s the attitude of the players, not their skills, that is the biggest factor in determining whether you win or lose. Harry Sinden
I don’t see anyone as my competition. We don’t have the same dreams, goals, ambition and for sure not the same brain. Anonymous
If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all? Joe Namath
It was close, but that’s the way it is in war. You win or lose, live or die – and the difference is just an eyelash. Douglas MacArthur
Show me a gracious loser and I’ll show you a failure. Knute Rockne
Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. John Wooden
No competition, no progress. Bela Karolyi
You miss percent of the shots you don’t take. Wayne Gretzky
No matter how much you’ve won, no matter how many games, no matter how many championships, no matter how many Super Bowls, you’re not winning now, so you stink. Bill Parcells
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. Michael Jordan
Call me crazy, but I love to see other people happy and succeeding! Life is a journey, not a competition. Anonymous
Win or lose, do it fairly. Knute Rockne
Pain is only temporary but victory is forever. Jeremy H
To me the beauty of teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one. You become selfless. Coach Mike Krzyzewski
If you want to find the real competition, just look in the mirror. After awhile you’ll see your rivals scrambling for second place. Criss Jami
No matter if you win or lose, the most important thing in life is to enjoy what you have. Dong Dong
The secret to success is doing the best that you can do. Forget about whether you might win or lose. By working hard and practicing the skills that you need to perform, the results will take care of themselves. Being successful is about doing your best. Barbara Cochran
Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up. Rocky Balboa
Life is not a competition. Life is about helping others so we can each reach our potential. Kim Chase
Thus we see that the all important thing is not killing or giving life, drinking or not drinking, living in the town or the country, being unlucky or lucky, winning or losing. It is how we win, how we lose, how we live or die, finally, how we choose. Reginald Horace Blyth
The biggest competition is myself. I am not looking to follow others or pull them down. I’m planning to test my own boundaries. Rain
Win or lose, I’ll feel good about myself. That’s what is important. Mary Docter
It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up. Vince Lombardi
How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose. Bill Gates
It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you place the blame. Oscar Wilde
Every kid around the world who plays soccer wants to be Pele. I have a great responsibility to show them not just how to be like a soccer player, but how to be like a man. Pele
Bodybuilding is much like any other sport. To be successful, you must dedicate yourself % to your training, diet and mental approach. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Win or lose today I am proud of the way my boys have played in the tournament. Imran Khan
Victory is fleeting. Losing is forever. Billie Jean King
Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. Muhammad Ali
It’s not winning or losing. It’s the friends and the people that you meet along the way. Summer Altice
Discover our hand-picked selection of motivating quotes about taking risks that are guaranteed to lift you up.
Famous Competition Quotes
Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder, and give more than anyone else. Vince Lombardo
So many people along the way, whatever it is you aspire to do, will tell you it can’t be done. But all it takes is imagination. You dream. You plan. You reach. Michael Phelps
The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it. Wayne Gretzky
Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. William A. Ward
When you play Bobby, it is not a question if you win or lose. It is a question if you survive. Boris Spassky
The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give. Howard Cosell
People that live their lives with passion never worry about competition. Kevin Ste Marie
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. Lance Armstrong
Worrying about the competition, is like worrying about an impending train. You can either watch in terror as the train runs over you or you can proactively step out of the way. Oscar Auliq-Ice
We play with enthusiasm and recklessness. We aren’t afraid to lose. If we win, great; but win or lose, it is the competition that gives us pleasure. Joe Paterno
Mental strength is really important because you either win or lose in your mind. And I’m not solely talking about sporting matches, boxing events – anything you do, you do it first with your mental strength. And you can actually train and develop it, and I am responsible for what I’m saying because I have experience with that. Wladimir Klitschko
The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done. Arnold Palmer
I mean, it’s not important what kind of pants you were; it’s how you wear them. Ronnie Lott
I don’t compete against other women. To uplift others means I’m never looking down on them. I applaud their strength, and I remind them that we never know how strong we are until we are tested. And this life will test you but it’s not a competition. I want us all to make it. Alfa H
Most talented players don’t always succeed. Some don’t even make the team. It’s more what’s inside. Brett Favre
As Darwin discovered, competition is important for the survival of our species. It may not be the competition with others but the competition within ourselves. Debasish Mridh
Kill them with success and bury them with a smile. Usain Bolt
You might not be able to outthink, out market or outspend your competition, but you can outwork them. Lou Holtz
Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. Jim Valvano
Prepare to win, or lose to someone who is. Jeffrey Gitomer
If it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score? Vince Lombardi
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand Vince Lombardi
It’s up to us to choose whether we win or lose…and I choose to win. Mary J. Blige
I’ve never lost a game. I just ran out of time. Michael Jordan
The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination. Tommy Lasorda
You’re never a loser until you quit trying. Mike Ditka
A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be. Wayne Gretzky
Competition is a sin. John D. Rockefeller
Every team requires unity. A team has to move as one unit, one force, with each person understanding and assisting the roles of his teammates. If the team doesn’t do this, whatever the reason, it goes down in defeat. You win or lose as a team, as a family. Jack Kemp
I’ve had to learn to fight all my life – got to learn to keep smiling. If you smile things will work out. Serena Williams
A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning. Pat Riley
When you’ve done everything you can to train yourself for competition, you’ll sleep well when the tournament is over, win or lose. Karch Kiraly
When you’re riding, only the race in which you’re riding is important. Bill Shoemaker
If you join a fight for social justice you may win or lose, but just by being part of the struggle, you win, and your life will be better for it. Howard Zinn
Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period. Lou Holtz
In sports, players need to be reminded of their competition to become motivated to practice. The same can be applied in business. Gavin McGinnis
Win or lose, people know what you want to do. Hillary Clinton
It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe. Muhammad Ali
It is not up to me whether I win or lose. Ultimately, this might not be my day. And it is that philosophy towards sports, something that I really truly live by. I am emotional. I want to win. I am hungry. I am a competitor. I have that fire. But deep down, I truly enjoy the art of competing so much more than the result. Apolo Ohno
Winning solves everything. Tiger Woods
Competition to catalyze digital innovation is great. Competition to further the world of pursuing superego is unhealthy. Pearl Zhu
Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. Vince Lombardi
A champion is someone who does not settle for that day’s practice, that day’s competition, that day’s performance. They are always striving to be better. They don’t live in the past. Briana Scurry
It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how many people remember you when you die. Jonathan Ross
The spirit of a warrior is not geared to indulging and complaining, nor is it geared to winning or losing. The spirit of a warrior is geared only to struggle, and every struggle is a warrior’s last battle on earth. Thus the outcome matters very little to him. In his last battle on earth a warrior lets his spirit flow free and clear. And as he wages his battle, knowing that his intent is impeccable, a warrior laughs and laughs. Carlos Castaneda
Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement. Matt Biondi
You’ll score a lot of goals in your career but not one of them will happen without the help of a teammate. Abby Wambach
Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time. Lou Brock
It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up. Muhammad Ali
Sometimes when you win, you really lose. And sometimes when you lose, you really win. And sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie. And sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs. Rosie Perez
If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win. Carl Lewis
Life brings us as many joyful moments as it does downfalls. Let beautiful take a break quotes uplift you, empower you and get you ready for the next chapter in your life.
Powerful Competition Quotes
Goals prepare Olympic athletes physically and mentally. Did you know that goals are used by sports psychologists in order to help athletes improve their performance? Paul Bailey
It’s okay to feel nervous before a competition because it means you care about doing well. Gretchen Bleiler
You can’t win unless you learn how to lose. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
It never gets easier. You just get better. Jordan Hoechlin
Life does not play with marked cards. Winning or losing is part of it. Paulo Coelho
The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital. Joe Paterno
Stop looking to the competition. Value-innovate and let the competition worry about you. W. Chan Kim”
If I have given my all and still do not win, I haven’t lost. Others might remember winning or losing; I remember the journey. Apolo Ohno
That person staring back at you when you look in the mirror – that’s your competition. Clyde Lee Dennis
Whoever said, ‘It’s not whether you win or lose that counts,’ probably lost. Martina Navratilova
You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there. Yogi Berra
In the end, the game comes down to one thing: man against man. May the best man win. Sam Huff
Win or lose you will never regret working hard, making sacrifices, being disciplined, or focusing too much. Success is measured by what we have done to prepare for competition. John Smith
If you sue somebody it takes two years, three years, and your anger just gets lost in between. And even if you win or lose the trial, it takes such a long time. If you want to really take a personal revenge, you’d better do it by yourself and at the right time. Gaspar Noe
It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up. Vince Lombardi
In baseball and in business, there are three types of people. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened. Tommy Lasorda
When I was deciding to fight, the thought of winning or losing didn’t bother me. Velupillai Prabhakaran
I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it. Sandy Koufax
From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life. Arthur Ashe
It’s not about winning or losing, but love and respect. Max Lucado
Your competition isn’t other people. Your competition is your procrastination. Your ego. The unhealthy food you’re consuming, the knowledge you neglect. The negative behavior you’re nurturing and your lack of creativity. Compete against that. Anonymous
An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head. Emil Zatopek
Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood. George S. Patton
Some may have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone working harder than you do. John Tavares
It does not matter whether you win or lose, what matters is whether I win or lose! Steven Weinberg
Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Vince Lombardi
Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy. Wayne Gretzky
It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters. Paul Bryant
Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next. George Steinbrenner
Just be patient. Let the game come to you. Don’t rush. Be quick, but don’t hurry. Earl Monroe
You are the handicap you must face. You are the one who must choose your place. James Lane Allen
The best way to kill competition is to partner it. Siddharth Joshi
Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed – there’s so little competition.”Elbert Hubbard
Passion first and everything will fall into place. Holly Holm
Competitive sports are played mainly on a five-and-a-half inch court, the space between your ears. Bobby Jones
Nothing is black-and-white, except for winning and losing, and maybe that’s why people gravitate to that so much. Steve Nash
Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. John Wooden
My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging. Hank Aaron
It ain’t over till it’s over. Yogi Berra
I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it. Walt Disney
You can choose, don’t confuse, win or lose, it’s up to you. Ozzy Osbourne
How you run the race – your planning, preparation, practice, and performance – counts for everything. Winning or losing is a by-product, and aftereffect, of that effort. John Wooden
Any system based on competition will inherently promote inequality, division, and conflict. Joseph Rain
I think sports gave me the first place where this awkward girl could feel comfortable in my own skin. I think that’s true for a lot of women—sports gives you a part of your life where you can work at something and you look in the mirror and you like that person. – Teri McKeever
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’ Muhammad Ali
In American elections, there are no losers because whether or not our candidates win or lose, the next morning we wake up as Americans. John F. Kerry
The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before. Steve Young
Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. Ross Perot
Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. Vince Lombardi
The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are still getting beat no matter what you do. When you have the killer instinct to fight through that, it is very special. Eddie Reese
To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them. Picabo Street
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. Vince Lombardi
I am no genius; I just worked hard like my other teammates, and I believe all my teammates can win the title as they work hard, too. Lin Dan
Competition makes us faster; collaboration makes us better. Anonymous
Confidence has no competition. Anonymous
For me, winning isn’t something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. Winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream. Emmitt Smith
When you’re really good, no one is competition. No one! Daylle Deanna Schwartz
Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose. Lyndon B. Johnson
The best part of competition is that through it we discover what we are capable of – and how much more we can actually do than we ever believed possible. Anonymous
In Montana, a math teacher is running for the Senate. Win or lose, she plans on demanding a recount because math is fun. Conan O’Brien
I would have thought that the knowledge that you are going to be leapt upon by half-a-dozen congratulatory, but sweaty team-mates would be inducement not to score a goal. Arthur Marshall
When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. Sun Tzu
I wouldn’t let the boys down, no way. If my arm came off I’d still play. Jack Bird
You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing. Arthur Ashe
There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between. Pat Riley
You can motivate by fear, and you can motivate by reward. But both those methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation. Homer Rice
When you are there is no fear whatsoever. As you get older you play in more important games and that is when you start thinking about what will happen if you win or lose. Wayne Rooney
Refocus and recharge with these uplifting wise quotes.
Motivational Competition Quotes
What keeps me going is not winning, but the quest for reaching potential in myself as a coach and my kids as divers. It’s the pursuit of excellence. Ron O’Brien
If you think it’s hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball. Jack Lemmon
At one point in your life you either have the thing you want or the reasons why you don’t. Andy Roddick
Life is not a competition. No one has to lose for someone else to win. A true blessing blesses everyone. Donna Goddard
My only competition is the person I was yesterday. Anonymous
If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat. Herschel Walker
We regard our living together not as an unfortunate mishap warranting endless competition among us but as a deliberate act of God to make us a community of brothers and sisters jointly involved in the quest for a composite answer to the varied problems of life. Steven Biko
If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it. Ronnie Lott
There are certain basic qualities and characteristics you’ve got to have. Number one: you’ve got to have a will to win. Bob Richards
Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it’s because you’ve started to think of failure. Tommy Lasorda
If you’re a true warrior, competition doesn’t scare you. It makes you better. Andrew Whitworth
Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds. Larry Bird
I tell the kids, somebody’s gotta win, somebody’s gotta lose. Just don’t fight about it. Just try to get better. Yogi Berra
It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. Jillian Michaels
Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. Satchel Paige
When the game is over I just want to look at myself in the mirror, win or lose, and know I gave it everything I had. Joe Montana
Nobody likes to hear it, because it’s dull, but the reason you win or lose is darn near always the same – pitching. Earl Weaver
Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story. Casey Stengel
I can’t say, ‘It doesn’t matter if you win or lose.’ It’s not true. You go in to win. Katarina Witt
Grantland Rice, the great sportswriter once said, ‘It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.’ Well Grantland Rice can go to hell as far as I’m concerned. Gene Autry
Everybody’s got plans… until they get hit. Mike Tyson
Failure is important because the first time you win (or lose), it could be luck, it could be timing, or it could be talent. It’s only after you fail once or twice and learn to rely equally on thought, analysis, and anticipation-in addition to speed, talent, and execution-that you can really call yourself an entrepreneur … In the long run, it’s mind over muscle, strategy over strength, and a healthy perspective-not just a lot of perspiration-that make someone a real success in his or her business and in the equally important rest of his or her life. Howard A. Tullman
There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do. Derek Jeter
Whatever road you choose, I’m right behind you win or lose. Rod Stewart
Some people say I have attitude – maybe I do…but I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right there. Venus Williams
I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion. Mia Hamm
I know it’s not a one-man team win or lose. Brett Favre
Winners never quit and quitters never win. Sports do not build character. They reveal it. Heywood Broun
It’s not whether you win or lose – but whether I win or lose. Sandy Lyle
Contrary to what our brains are telling us, there’s no mystical force that imbues a winner with a streak of luck, nor is there a cosmic sense of justice that ensures that a loser’s luck will turn around. The universe doesn’t care one whit whether you’ve been winning or losing; each roll of the dice is just like every other. Charles Seife
Whoever said, It’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game is full of it! Winning makes all the difference in the world. Winning is fun. Losing is not. Losing sucks. Pete Rose
In training, there is no winning or losing. There is only learning. Tucker Max
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. Michael Jordan
Winning isn’t everything, but it beats anything that comes in second. Paul Bryant
At a young age winning is not the most important thing… the important thing is to develop creative and skilled players with good confidence. Arsene Wenger
Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever. Lance Armstrong
I’m competitive with myself, but not with other people. I set goals for myself. I don’t really care about winning or losing as long as I do my best. Lucas Grabeel
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Tim Notke
The only thing even in this world is the number of hours in a day. The difference in winning or losing is what you do with those hours. Woody Hayes
Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion. Michael Jordan
In life there is competition and love is no exception. Jazalyn
Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play. Mike Singletary
Regardless of what happens, I still honor my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because at the end of the day, that’s what’s important, win or lose. … We need to get back to one nation under God, and be role models for kids. Tim Tebow
Life is gonna throw you curve balls and it’s how you deal with them and your attitude and your work ethic. Kerri Strug
Sure, it’s nice to win. But there’s only one thing that’s important to me and that’s the money we’re going to get, win or lose. . . . I don’t love baseball, I like it. And to me, baseball means money, and that’s all I care about. Vida Blue
What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose. Andre Agassi
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less. Paul Brown
Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing. Muhammad Ali
Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle. Wilma Rudolph
Every endeavor pursued with passion produces a successful outcome, regardless of the result. For it is not about winning or losing – rather, the effort put forth in producing the outcome. Matthew Syed
You have to do something in your life that is honorable and not cowardly if you are to live in peace with yourself. Larry Brown
I’ve always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn’t have a chance to win. Arnold Palmer
On any given Sunday you’re gonna win or you’re gonna lose. The point is — can you win or lose like a man? Al Pacino
Losing feels worse than winning feels good. Vin Scully
Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. Dan Gable
I don’t know. Only God knows where the story ends for me, but I know where the story begins. It’s up to us to choose, whether we win or lose and I choose to win. Mary J. Blige
You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave – win or lose. Gordie Howe