Michael Jordan

“If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.”

“My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.”

“The best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are.”

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

“Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.”

“I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.”

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.”

“Be true to the game, because the game will be true to you. If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. If you put forth the effort, good things will be bestowed upon you. That's truly about the game, and in some ways that's about life too.”

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”

“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 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.”

“I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”

“Earn your leadership every day.”

“I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.”

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

“The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace.”

“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.”

“I hope the millions of people I've touched have the optimism and desire to share their goals and hard work and persevere with a positive attitude.”

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

“When I was playing before I retired, I never really understood the appreciation and the respect that people gave me. People had treated me like a god or something, and that was very embarrassing.”

“For a competitive junkie like me, golf is a great solution because it smacks you in the face every time you think you have accomplished something. That to me has taken over a lot of the energy and competitiveness for basketball.”

“Gambling is legal and betting is legal, for what I bet.”

“I want to wake up every day and do whatever comes in my mind, and not feel pressure or obligations to do anything else in my life.”

“I'd like to be settled into somewhat of a normal life. Somewhat. I know it's never going to be completely normal.”

“In college I never realized the opportunities available to a pro athlete. I've been given the chance to meet all kinds of people, to travel and expand my financial capabilities, to get ideas and learn about life, to create a world apart from basketball.”