Whether you play basketball, baseball, football, or ping pong, you’re going to need strong leaders.
This is a curated sub-category. Check out our full collection of leadership quotes.
“Leaders aren’t born, they are made. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal which is worthwhile.-Vince Lombardi
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.-Michael Jordan
“Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It’s being able to take it as well as dish it out. That’s the only way you’re going to get respect from the players.-Larry Bird
“To do things you’ve never done before, you have to do things you’ve never done before.-Sean Payton
“Earn your leadership every day.-Michael Jordan
“In leadership, there are no words more important than trust. In any organization, trust must be developed among every member of the team if success is going to be achieved.-Mike Kryzewski
“Think of yourself as an athlete. I guarantee you it will change the way you walk, the way you work, and the decisions you make about leadership, teamwork, and success.- Mariah Burton Nelson
“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
“Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.-Ray Kroc
“There’s always the motivation of wanting to win. Everybody has that. But a champion needs, in his attitude, a motivation above and beyond winning.-Pat Riley
“Leadership is getting players to believe in you. If you tell a teammate you’re ready to play as tough as you’re able to, you’d better go out there and do it. Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you’re not giving it all you’ve got.-Larry Bird
“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.-Dwight D. Eisenhower
“A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him rise to the top.-Simon Sinek
“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.-Walter Lippmann
“Nothing will work unless you do.-John Wooden (Basketball Coach)
“To have long term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way.-Pat Riley
“Leadership, like coaching, is fighting for the hearts and souls of men and getting them to believe in you.-Eddie Robinson
“A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.-Arnold H. Glasow
“Winning isn’t everything, but the will to win is everything.-Vince Lombardi, football coach
“Leadership must be likeable, affable, cordial, and above all emotional. The fashion of authoritarian leadership is gone. Football is about life. You can’t be angry all day.-Vicente del Bosque
“The best motivation always comes from within.-Michael Johnson
“Clarity affords focus.-Thomas Leonard
“I don’t look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.-Mike Krzyzewski
“Once a player joins our team, our priority is to teach him, not worry about the player we didn’t select.-Tony Dungy
“Your first and foremost job as a leader is to take charge of your own energy and then help to orchestrate the energy of those around you.-Peter F. Drucker
“My responsibility is leadership, and the minute I get negative, that is going to have an influence on my team.-Don Shula
“Victory breeds victory. Leadership summons participation.-Ellen Shaffer
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.-Michael Jordan
“Treat a person as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat him as he could be, and he will become what he should be.-Jimmy Johnson
“Leadership is possible in all different ways, and in all different areas of life. Whether it is with friends or family, I expect them to set a great example for me, and hopefully I will do the same for them. And that is all part of being a leader.-Steve Nash
“In simplest terms, a leader is one who knows where he wants to go, and gets up, and goes.-John Erskine
“Sport fosters many things that are good; teamwork and leadership.-Daley Thompson
“Soar with wit. Conquer with dignity. Handle with care.-Criss Jami
“Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation.-William Arthur Ward