"Each warrior wants to leave the mark of his will, his signature, on the important acts he touches. This is not the voice of ego but the human spirit, rising up and declaring that is has something to contribute. In every contest, there comes a moment that separates winning from losing. The true warrior understands and seizes the moment by giving an effort so intense and so intuitive that if could only be called one from the heart." -Pat Riley
"The important thought is that the Packers thrived on tough competition. We welcomed it; the team had always welcomed it. The adrenaline flowed a little quicker when we were player the tougher team." -Vince Lombardi
"While it's important to win, it's imperative to compete." -David Weinbaum
“For me, every game, it’s all on the line. Just that little moment, knowing it’s all on the line, right now, there’s no second chance on this game, there’s no getting a player over, that’s something that excites me. I love to see other players, especially defenders, if they’re nervous. Yeah, that gets me excited.” –Curtis Martin
“To me there is no better feeling than when you really bust your butt all week long, studying tape, working extra time in the weight room or on the practice field and then winning the game on Sunday. It truly is a great feeling.” –Peyton Manning
"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -Wayne Gretzky
"How do you spot a true competitor -- that unique individual who possesses a special quality called the will to win? Easy. The competitor with the will to win also has the will to work. The will to work is easy to spot because it's visible each and every day. It's right in front of you. A great competitor will never cease working hard to be the best that he or she can be. He or she has the will to do the work." –John Wooden
"If it comes easy it isn't worth a damn." -Woody Hayes
"Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play." -Mike Singletary
"I've played a couple of hundred games of tic-tac-toe with my little daughter and she hasn't beaten me yet. I've always had to win. I've got to win." -Bob Gibson
“I love playing road games. I love that atmosphere. I encourage my players to treat games away from home as a wonderful challenge. I like to tell my team, "Let's go into their living room and steal their brownies." It's all about having the confidence and attitude that I can beat your butt anytime, anywhere, anyplace, anyhow... The bottom line is that I want my players to understand that at some point in every game, somebody's going to give in, and I don't ever want it to be us. We want to be the last team standing.” –Roy Williams
“Appropriate response to challenge is the basis for the rise of any society or organization.” –Arnold Toynbee
“When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.” –Jim Rohn
"I'm not a very skilled player. I'm not that talented. For me, it's about wanting to win more than the other person. That's what makes me different." -Joakin Noah
"If you're not a competitor, you've just got to go home." -Venus Williams
“I’ve played a couple of hundred games of tick-tack-toe with my little daughter, and she hasn’t beaten me yet. I’ve always had to win. I’ve got to win.” -Bob Gibson
“I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it.” –Walt Disney
“Lots of people talk about competition, especially those who seek to achieve high performance no matter what the profession. In my experience, however, the real essence of competing is often misunderstood. Competition to me is not about beating your opponent. It is about doing your best; it is about striving to reach your potential; and it is about being in relentless pursuit of a competitive edge in everything you do.” –Pete Carroll
“You have to love your adversaries. They make you better. They force you to improve, to stretch your capabilities. Competitors respond to a challenge from their opponents, and to negative motivation as well as to positive. Competitors seek revenge for losses. They crave a compliment if they haven't gotten one. Competitors want to prove everyone else wrong. They want to show skeptics ‘I am better than this. I am a winner.’" –Pat Summitt
“An All-Star has to be a pit bull;
he has to bring it every night!”
–Kevin Garnett
“There’s no point in playing the game if you’re not trying to be the best.” –Derrick Rose
"Kick the guy’s ass you are going against in practice." –Jerry West (when a player asked what he can do to play)
“It’s a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men… There is something in good men that really yearns for, needs, discipline and the harsh reality of head-to-head combat. I don’t say those things because I believe in the ‘brute’ nature of man or that man must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. Bit I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour – his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear – is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.” - Coach Vince Lombardi
“You can’t always be the strongest or most talented or most gifted person in the room, but you can always be the most competitive. There are bound to be days when you run into someone who is better than you. What can you do about it? You can compete, that’s what. You can put forth so much effort that you cut your opponent down to size and force him to play below his abilities. Competitiveness allows you to influence your opponent.” -Coach Pat Summitt
“I want to be the guy this team leans on in crucial situations. You always hear people saying, ‘I’d want to be in a foxhole with that guy,’ that’s what it’s all about.” -Brett Favre
