Are you looking for a dose of motivation for your next workout, game, or race? Look no further!
Whether you are a swimmer, runner, or soccer player we’ve got inspirational quotes for you from some of the most famous female athletes of all time.
When the going gets tough it can be hard to keep at your goals. Read these motivational quotes from the pros. Paste these inspirational words on your mirrors. Share them on your social media or even chant them aloud to yourself!
Read on for the 50 best inspirational quotes from current and former professional female athletes!
Table of Contents
Female athlete quotes to motivate hard work
- “I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.” – Mia Hamm, Soccer
- “Natural talent only determines the limits of your athletic potential. It’s dedication and a willingness to discipline your life that makes you great.” – Billie Jean King, Tennis
- “Everyone’s dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard.”- Serena Williams, Tennis
- “Work hard in silence; let your success be the noise.”- Simone Biles, Gymnastics
- “Hard work is something that comes without saying for us to achieve the things we want.”- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Track and Field
- “Your dreams are what define your individuality. They have the power to give you wings and make you fly high.” – P.V. Sindhu, Badminton
- “The only person who can stop you from reaching your goals is you.” – Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Track and Field
- “Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and keep it lit.” – Mary Lou Retton, Gymnastics
- “Never Underestimate the Power of Dreams and the Influence of the Human Spirit.”- Wilma Rudolph, Track and Field
- “Everyone wants to win. But to truly succeed – whether it is at a sport or at your job or in life – you have to be willing to do the hard work, overcome the challenges, and make the sacrifices it takes to be the best at what you do.”- Ronda Rousey, Wrestling
- “To be the best, you have to constantly be challenging yourself, raising the bar, pushing the limits of what you can do. Don’t stand still, leap forward.”- Ronda Rousey, Wrestling
- “I always want to give more than I gave yesterday.” Allyson Felix, Track and Field
Inspirational quotes for overcoming fear
- “I am lucky that whatever fear I have within me, my desire to win is always stronger.” – Serena Williams, Tennis
- “You have to let fear go. Another lesson is you just have to believe in yourself; you just have to. There’s no way around it. No matter how things are stacked against you, you just have to every time.” – Venus Williams, Tennis
- “If you go around being afraid, you’re never going to enjoy life. You have only one chance, so you’ve got to have fun.”- Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skier
- “When we live afraid to fail, we don’t take risks. We don’t bring our entire selves to the table—so we end up failing before we even begin.”- Abby Wambach, Soccer
- “The majority of the things that I do, I’m actually afraid to do, but you just have to have a positive attitude and block out any fears that you have.”- Aly Raisman, Gymnastics
- “I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.”- Simone Biles, Gymnastics
- “Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.”- Bethany Hamilton, Surfer
- “Greatness finds us by obstacles in front of us. I don’t look at hurdles as obstacles blocking my path but opportunities to overcome.”- Lolo Jones, Bobsledder
- “I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run towards it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your foot.” – Nadia Comăneci, Gymnastics
- “You can’t measure success if you have never failed. My father has taught me that if you really do want to reach your goals, you can’t spend any time worrying about whether you’re going to win or lose. Focus only on getting better.”- Steffi Graf, Tennis
- “I believe in the impossible because no one else does.”- Florence Griffith Joyner, Track and Field
- “Setbacks have an upside; they fuel new dreams.”- Dara Torres, Swimming
Wise words for building the mind
- “Some people say I have attitude–maybe I do…But I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does–that makes you a winner right there.” – Venus Williams, Tennis
- “Life doesn’t just happen. You happen to life. You decide how you want to write your story.” – Julie Foudy, Soccer
- “True champions aren’t always the ones that win, but those with the most guts.” – Mia Hamm, Soccer
- “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King, Tennis
- You have to remember that the hard days are what make you stronger. The bad days make you realize what a good day is. If you never had any bad days, you would never have that sense of accomplishment!- Aly Raisman, Gymnastics
- “The unexpected is usually what brings the unbelievable.”- Simone Biles, Gymnastics
- I maintained my edge by always being a student; you will always have something new to learn.”- Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Track and Field
- “Make sure your worst enemy does not live between your ears.” – Alex Morgan, Soccer
- “I think it’s important to keep things positive. Sometimes you don’t win, and that sucks, and you work on improving.”- Alex Morgan, Soccer
- “You can’t control what people say about you and what they think about you. You can’t plan for bad luck. You can only work your hardest and do your best and tell the truth. In the end, it’s the effort that matters. The rest is beyond your control.”- Maria Sharapova, Tennis
- “The formula for success is simple: practice and concentration then more practice and more concentration.”- Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Golf
- “Putting yourself out there is hard, but it’s so worth it. I don’t think anyone who has ever spoken out, or stood up or had a brave moment, has regretted it. It’s empowering and confidence-building and inspiring. Not only to other people, but to yourself.”- Megan Rapinoe, Soccer
Quotes to inspire the comeback
- “I don’t like to lose—at anything—yet I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks.” – Serena Williams, Tennis
- “When you fall, get right back up. Just keep going, keep pushing it.”- Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skier
- “Setbacks motivate me.”- Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skier
- “Failure is not something to be ashamed of—nor is it proof of unworthiness. Failure is something to be powered by.”- Abby Wambach, Soccer
- “A champion never allows a short-term failure to take her out of the long-term game.”- Abby Wambach, Soccer
- “Whatever brings you down, will eventually make you stronger.” – Alex Morgan, Soccer
- “The triumph can’t be had without the struggle”- Wilma Rudolph, Track and Field
- “Sometimes it takes looking at the past to really be able to move forward and learn from it.” – Danica Patrick, Race car driver
- “A failure isn’t a failure if it prepares you for success tomorrow.” – Lolo Jones, Bobsledder
- “Every loss teaches you something. The quicker you learn from the losses, then forget about the actual losing, the better off you will be. And do it fast!”- Maria Sharapova, Tennis
- “You can’t win them all but you can try.” – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Golf
- “I never look back, I look forward.”- Steffi Graf, Tennis
Female athlete quotes that uplift all women
- “Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” – Serena Williams, Tennis
- “It’s sexy and beautiful to be strong.” – Lindsey Vonn, Alpine skier
- “A woman who doesn’t give up can never lose.” – Abby Wambach, Soccer
- “Women must stop accepting failure as our destruction and start using failure as our fuel.” – Abby Wambach, Soccer
- “Celebrate the success of one woman as a collective success for all women.” – Abby Wambach, Soccer
- “Her victory is your victory. Celebrate with her. Your victory is her victory. Point to her.”- Abby Wambach, Soccer
- “Overcoming one of my limiting beliefs, ‘girls are not as strong as men, therefore we cannot attempt the same physical challenges.’ I can tell you, with all certainty, this is not true. I have accomplished things on skis no one thought were physically possible for females.”- Lynsey Dyer, Skier
- “Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people.”- Martina Navratilova, Tennis
- “Reputation is what others think about you. What’s far more important is character, because that is what you think about yourself.” – Billie Jean King, Tennis
- “Girls playing sports is not about winning gold medals. It’s about self-esteem, learning to compete, and learning how hard you have to work in order to achieve your goals.” – Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Track and Field
- “I don’t think being an athlete is unfeminine. I think of it as a kind of grace.” – Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Track and Field
- “Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.”- Bethany Hamilton, Surfer
Conclusion: keep going
Females could not compete in the Olympics till the 1900s. Title IX was passed in 1972 to give women more sports programs and opportunities. Women could not compete in the Boston Marathon till 1972. Women represented 45% of the athletes at the 2016 Summer Olympics!
Look at what female athletes have accomplished in the last 50 years and watch out for what we can accomplish over the next 100 years.
Bad days are temporary. The important thing is to keep a strong mind. Gain inspiration and motivation from the words of wisdom from the greatest female athletes of all time!
Other posts you may like:
Katie Schimmelpfenning RD, LD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, USA Swim Coach, and former Division 1 swimmer. She helps competitive swimmers fuel and train to optimize performance, recover faster, and prevent injury! She is passionate about spreading evidence-based nutrtion tips to help swimmers across the globe.