I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.
Michael JordanRead
Great players never look in the mirror and think I'm a great basketball player. You ask yourself, Am I the best player I can be?
Interpretation
True greatness is about continuous self-improvement rather than self-admiration.
In this quote, Michael Jordan emphasizes that the mindset of exceptional players revolves around self-evaluation and striving for personal bests rather than resting on their past achievements. It encourages individuals to focus more on their potential and the effort required to reach it, instead of getting complacent with their current status or skills.
In practice
In a sports motivational speech to young athletes.
I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.
There are no shortcuts. I approached practices the same way I approached games. You can't turn it on and off like a faucet. I couldn't dog it during practice and then, when I needed that extra push late in the game, expect it to be there. Very few people get anywhere by taking shortcuts.
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.
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.
Don't be like me. Be better than me. That's the goal.
Success isn't something you chase. It's something you have to put forth the effort for constantly. Then maybe it'll come when you least expect it. Most people don't understand that.
The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be.
Why don't you think we should dream of an African team winning the World Cup for the first time? People never allow this thought to cross their minds, and it is shameful. When you try to even say it, people look at you as if you're joking, but they forget that dreaming is the first step to success.
All I ever wanted to do was play competitive golf against the best players in the world.
The day when a sportsman stops thinking above all else of the happiness in his own effort and the intoxication of the power and physical balance he derives from it, the day when he lets considerations of vanity or interest take over, on this day his ideal will die.
A familiar name on its own, however, does not carry its bearer far unless the talent is there, and the will to work.
When I won in 2003, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would win Wimbledon and have my kids seeing me lift the trophy, so this is pretty surreal. And yeah, I was almost shocked in the moment that it all came together so nicely.
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