As fighters and athletes, we go through a lot (and so do our mouthguards). And through this adversity, there are gems of wisdom that can help us get by and to push a little more every day. Here are 18 of our favorite quotes from top fighters:
- “If you work hard in training, the fight is easy.” -Manny Pacquiao
- “The hero and the coward both feel the same thing. But the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It’s the same thing, fear, but it’s what you do with it that matters.” -Cus D’amato
- “A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.” – Jack Dempsey
- “Martial arts is like a mountain. You see the top. And you hike and you climb, and you finally reach the peak, and you realize it was a false summit, and in front of you lies an entire new mountain range.” – Robert Owens
- “Where there is preparation, there is no fear.” – Hwang Lee
- “Fear is just like fire, it can be helpful if you know how to use it. If not, you’ll get burned.” – Mike Tyson
- “Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.“ — Mike Tyson
- “You might win some, you might lose some. But you go in, you challenge yourself, you become a better man, a better individual, a better fighter.” — Conor McGregor
- “If you have a dream, don't let anyone talk you out of it.” — Henry Cejudo
- “People say to me all the time, 'You have no fear.' I tell them, 'No, that's not true. I'm scared all the time. You have to have fear in order to have courage. I'm a courageous person because I'm a scared person." — Ronda Rousey
- “No matter how bad things get, eventually the sun is going to shine. If you just keep at it, pursuing your goals, eventually good things happen to decent people. For a person who is set on his goals, good things will happen. Everyone deals with adversity; it's how you bounce back from it.” — Daniel Cormier
- “Fighting, especially at this level, is about getting through adversity. You position yourself mentally to go out and take on obstacles that stand in your way. In the Octagon and in life, you face tough situations and have every chance to quit, but the more adversity you push through, the more likely you are to be successful.” — Tyron Woodley
- “The world is full of people who want to play it safe, people who have tremendous potential but never use it. Somewhere deep inside them, they know that they could do more in life, be more, and have more -- if only they were willing to take a few risks.” — George Foreman
- “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
- “Don't count the days, make the days count.” — Muhammad Ali
- “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” — Muhammad Ali
- “Don’t ever know who you may meet, or just because a person may not be dressed up all fancy, don’t mean they’re not an important person. You just don’t ever know who you’re gonna meet in life. So that’s why I look at everybody as equal. Can’t just judge. I treat everybody with respect.” - Floyd Mayweather
- “My career’s gone on 19 years and I’ve been able to preserve my smile.” Floyd Mayweather (in 2015)