Sports are a very important part of modern life in the society. Granted, it is basically entertainment and business but, in some people, it awakes passion and gives birth to many dreams.

I bet that many of you readers, in your childhood, dreamt of being playing in the NBA, hitting the decisive hit in the game 7 of the World Series or playing a Test Match for your Cricket National Team. Many of us dreamt of being Ronaldos, Michael Jordans, Derek Jeters, etc. Until some day we realize, we are not meant to take that bus and we give up our dreams.

But even if we no longer dream of playing any sport at professional level, the sports legend have left, through their writings or interviews, many quotes that we can still go to in our darkest moments and take inspiration and encouragement to get up and move on. In this article I will give 8 Inspirational quotes by sports legend.

The quotes are not arranged in any hierarchic order, it is just random.

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

This was said by Nelson Mandela at the conclusion of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was played and won by South Africa. When you think about it, the quote is truth. Many times, sports create equality and peace in conflictive places. The last line “sports can create hope where once there was only despair” is the most truthful segment of the quote. I remember I went through times in 2009, I even considered to give up on everything, but watching the World Baseball Classic of that year brought me memories from when I was a child, a time when I believed everything was possible. It helped me to get up and move on.

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up”

That quote is by Babe Ruth. For those who does not know, Babe Ruth is the greatest ball player of all time and he is the man who changed baseball forever. That, I think is saying enough to understand the dimension of his persona.

This quote speaks about the constancy, tenacity and persistence. Even if we lose a particular battle, as long as we keep fighting, defeat takes long to come, I think that is the real meaning of this beautiful phrase.

“Kids are always chasing rainbows, but baseball is a world where you can catch them”.

This was said by the least famous of all the people in this list, a young pitcher named Johnny Vander Meer, who made a name after throwing two no-hitters in a row (baseball fans will understand).

I like this quote because it is too poetic and beautiful and it touches the hearts of all of us who wanted to be baseball players, although I think you can switch the word baseball and put “basketball”, “cricket”, “soccer” any sport and it will continue to be true.

“You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat”.

Christy Mathewson said that one. He was a famous baseball pitcher and he is still regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Too many ball players, I know (but keep in mind, baseball is my fav game).

This quote is shared everyday on social networks but with different words. I think this is more valuable as it still concedes some learning from victory as many other say that we can only learn by losing. In difficult times you can come to this quote and embrace the lost with a better mind and heart and once you win, you can still value that moment. This quote does not degrade victory but does value defeat.

“You can’t win unless you learn how to lose”

By Kareem Abdul Jabbar. This is similar to the previous quote, but you can see the difference. Abdul Jabbar is even more radical and states that those who lose first are the only ones to achieve a win. When you work so hard on a dream and you never seem to achieve it, you only accumulate falls and stepbacks, this quote can give you reasons to continue fighting. Try it, I did it, and it works fine.

“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone work harder than you do”.

By Derek Jeter. This one I think is more suitable for people in the arts world, like myself. It happens in every field but more in arts, sometimes you are discouraged when someone says you don’t have talent to write, to sing or to dance, for example, and this can be true, some people are just more talented than others, but if you work hard, and believe in yourself you can improve to unexpected levels. Discipline and hard work can compensate the lack of extraordinary talent, I think that is what this quote is trying to tell us.

"For me to get through the toughest periods in my life, I had to look within to find the energy to do it. I don’t give up. Never have. Never will"

The quote itself is just inspirational but it gets to the next level when you know the history behind. This was said by Jonah Lomu, who, for those who do not know, was the man who changed rugby union forever. If Rugby had a Michael Jordan or a Pele, that was Lomu.

Since 1995, in the pride of his life and during the peak of his career, Lomu was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome, a serious kidney disorder that affected his life and career, forcing him to retire early in 2002. In 2003 Lomu went through dialysis and in 2004 he went under a kidney transplant. And in November 18, 2015, Lomu suffered a heart attack linked to his kindey condition and left this world.

Lomu never gave up and he left us with this beautiful, inspirational and at the same time, heartbreaking quote.

The pictures in this post are not mine, I got them from the internet.