30 Quotes From Olympic Athletes That'll Both Motivate And Inspire You

“I know I'm a good and honest person and if I put hard work in I would be able to reach my goals.”

— Sarah Robles, mashable.com

“I told myself: listen don't panic. Take your time, chip away and work your way back in."”

— Usain Bolt, mashable.com

“I'm not naturally the most confident athlete. But if my coaches tell me that I can run a certain time, I believe it with no question. Then that's it, that's decided, that's what I'm going to run.”

— Emma Coburn, amazon.com

“This moment is not about me, it's all about my coaches, my friends, my family that believed that when I was a six-year-old kid that I could do it.”

— Joseph Schooling, mashable.com

“I went from having surgery to being one of the top 15 men in the country by the age of 17. That shows me how much you can improve if you really want something bad enough.”

— Jake Dalton, mashable.com

“It's not about winning at the Olympic Games, it's about trying to win. The motto is faster, higher, stronger, not fastest, highest, strongest. Sometimes it's the trying that matters.”

— Bronte Barratt, mashable.com

“You need to have guts when you’re up against it. You need a dream, a goal and above all your family.”

— Oscar Figueroa, rio2016.com

“I am the greatest.”

— Usain Bolt, foxsports.com.au

“My balls hurt, but my arms hurt more ... not sure what to ice first. Prepare some beers boys, I am thirsty after that.”

— Jarrod Poort, foxsports.com.au

“It is so hard to be able to achieve something so big and not be able to share it with someone who is so close.”

— Melissa Wu, foxsports.com.au

“My doping is training. My doping is Jesus. Otherwise, I’m crystal clean.”

— Almaz Ayana’, foxsports.com.au

“There were definitely sloppy moments for us, and ones that will haunt us for the next four years.”

— Erin Phillips, foxsports.com.au

“I think the biggest thing is understanding how much pride and passion each of these boys had to put on the green and gold ... I just hope everyone back at home could feel they were on the journey with us. It was one helluva journey.”

— Patty Mills, foxsports.com.au

“I’m not going to judge a lifetime of success by a maybe less-than-perfect performance at the end.”

— Victoria Pendleton, foxsports.com.au

“The perfectionist in me, the elite athlete I’ve been for so long, just finds it really hard to comprehend that result.”

— Anna Meares, amazon.com

“That was one of the best efforts I think I’ve seen from an Australian sporting team. Unfortunately, it’s courage in the face of defeat. Nothing else matters other than the result, and we pulled up just short.”

— Alen Stajcic, foxsports.com.au

“This is one of the best things that has happened in my life. Now (the critics will) have to swallow what they said.”

— Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, foxsports.com.au

“They competed under gigantic pressure. Let’s give these kids a break. Sometimes you take actions that you later regret. They had fun, they made a mistake, life goes on.”

— Mario Andrada, foxsports.com.au

“I’ve been lucky enough to play a few good rounds along the way but that was the most special.”

— Marcus Fraser, foxsports.com.au

“I just had this gut feeling. And I thought ‘I think it’s going to happen’.”

— Chloe Esposito, foxsports.com.au

“I was up at Christ the Redeemer and I had a moment up there when I looked down and I visualized the moment at the start where that Olympic final will take place.”

— Kim Brennan, foxsports.com.au

“It couldn’t have come off any better, it was perfection, nearly.”

— Tom Burton, foxsports.com.au

“It is always hard as an athlete to admit that you didn’t deliver mentally, you always like to think you have some level of mental toughness.”

— Cameron McEvoy, foxsports.com.au

“It was what I wanted. I was able to dedicate myself to this last comeback and that was it. One last hurrah. Looking back, it happened exactly how I wanted it to and exactly how it should have.”

— Michael Phelps, foxsports.com.au

“On the podium, everything is the same whether you are 40 or 16.”

— Oksana Chusovitina, mashable.com

“Peace is knowing that I did everything I possibly could have done, that something beautiful will come out of this, and that I will come back stronger than before.”

— Missy Franklin, amazon.com

“I don't think it matters your body type. I think if you're passionate about something you can go after it and I hope I can be an example for that.”

— Allyson Felix, mashable.com

“You have to use your moment to help people around you.”

— Ibtihaj Muhammad, mashable.com

“A lot of heart is the key to success.”

— Chris Brooks, mashable.com

“I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.”

— Michael Phelps, mashable.com