These 50 Inspirational Michael Jordan Quotes Prove He's the GOAT

Michael Jordan is the MVP of life!

When it comes to spouting quotable inspiration, Michael Jordan might just be the greatest of all time. The basketball legend didn't just win six NBA championships and make the number 23 famous over the course of his pro career; he's also had a lot to say about success during his time at the top. And coming from an icon like him, it's definitely advice worth sharing.

Whether you're afraid of failure or just need to add a little pep to your step, Jordan's wise words of encouragement should get you where you want to go. Ready to up your game? Slam dunk your life with these 50 best Michael Jordan quotes.

50 Best Michael Jordan Quotes

1. "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

2. "My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength."

3. "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."

4. "I've never lost a game, I just ran out of time."

5. "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

6. "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."

7. "If it turns out that my best wasn't good enough, at least I won’t look back and say I was afraid to try."

8. "Heart is what separates the good from the great."

9. "Once you leave the ground, you fly. Some people fly longer than others."

10. "The minute you get away from fundamentals–whether it's proper technique, work ethic or mental preparation–the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you're doing."

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11. "I believe greatness is an evolutionary process that changes and evolves era to era."

12. "I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it."

13. "It's heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody. My job was to go out there and play the game of basketball as best I can. People may not agree with that. I can’t live with what everyone's impression of what I should or what I shouldn't do."

14. "I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot… When you think about the consequences you will always think of the negative result."

15. "I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it is an illusion to me. Failure always made me try harder the next time."

16. "Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night."

17. "Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don’t isolate."

18. "You have competition every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that."

19. "Enjoy every minute of life. Never second-guess life."

20. "Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."

21. "Relax and never think about what’s at stake. Just think about the basketball game."

22. "If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome."

23. "When I will lose the sense of motivation and the sense to prove something as a basketball player, it’s time for me to move away from the game."

24. "Winning isn't always championships."

25. "My heroes are and were my parents. I can't see having anyone else as my heroes."

26. "If you quit once, it becomes a habit. Never quit!"

27. "Sometimes you need to get hit in the head to realize that you're in a fight."

28. "To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail."

29. "In reality, I never want to grow up."

30. "If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life."

31. "Be true to the game, because the game will be true to you. If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. If you put forth the effort, good things will be bestowed upon you. That’s truly about the game, and in some ways that’s about life too."

32. "Learning’s a gift, even when pain is your teacher."

33. "If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you’ve lost your focus."

34. "Everybody has talent, but ability takes hard work."

35. "I want to be the bridge to the next generation."

36. "The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace."

37. "I want to wake up every day and do whatever comes in my mind, and not feel pressure or obligations to do anything else in my life."

38. "I built my talents on the shoulders of someone else's talent."

39. "My father used to say that it’s never too late to do anything you wanted to do. And he said you never know what you can accomplish until you try."

40. "Every time I feel tired while I am exercising and training, I close my eyes to see that picture, to see that list with my name. This usually motivates me to work again."

41. "There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player and I don't believe there is only one greatest player either."

42. "To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish."

43. "You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them."

44. "Live the moment for the moment."

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45. "Even when I’m old and gray, I won't be able to play it, but I’ll still love the game."

46. "I'm not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat."

47. "The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can’t let yourself be beat because of lack of effort."

48. "I play to win, whether during practice or a real game."

49. "Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation."

50. "You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them."

Next, The Most Inspirational Quotes