Michael Jordan Quotes

Michael Jordan quotes on success, basketball, and more from arguably the most famous and greatest basketball player in history. With his amazing skills, and his seemingly unstoppable determination, Jordan injected a level of excitement into the game of professional basketball that perhaps no one else has before or since.

Photo credit: BBC Sport Academy

The ultimately play-maker, his name became synonymous with basketball.

He was a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and a six-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, and holds holds multiple NBA records.

Driving to the basket, tongue sticking out as if to mock the opponent, over and over MJ would split defenders who were experts in their craft. The below Michael Jordan quotes were gathered from various sources.

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

"I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results."

"As athletes, we're used to reacting quickly. Here, it's 'come, stop, come, stop.' There's a lot of downtime. That's the toughest part of the day."

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying."

Also quoted as this variant: "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

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

'People ask me if I could fly, I said, "yeah.... for a little while."'

Lessons On Failure And Greatness

"There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great players and never win titles. Most of the time, those players aren't willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The funny thing is, in the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes individual goals more difficult to achieve. One thing I believe to the fullest is that if you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."

I was always a big MJ fan, and tried to learn what I could from his example on the court:

Never giving up. Always willing to take the ball at the most critical time, always willing to give up the ball so a teammate could score. Playing (the far less glamorous) aggressive defense. Giving more effort while sick with the flu than most people do on days when they feel their best.

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 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."

In digging through all the Michael Jordan quotes I could find, I've tried to uncover some key lessons that I could articulate...

• How to approach failure.
• Lead and do things your own way.
• Produce value up front for the sake of producing value.

I didn't publish all the quotes here, but even in all these words, I still remember best his performances on the court. Perhaps that's why these are my two favorite Michael Jordan quotes (from Driven from Within):

"There are no shortcuts. I have always believed in leading with action, not words."

"Nothing of value comes without being earned."

In Get Out of Your Own Way, Robert K. Cooper mentions a quote from Jordan's book, I Can't Accept Not Trying that goes like this...

"My advice is find fuel in failure. Sometimes failure gets you closer to where you want to be."

Cooper brought that up in reference to MJ having been cut from his high school basketball team, a setback that would have perhaps discouraged a less driven person.

That brings me to... failure. Fear of it can stop you from even trying to succeed. If you let it.

I believe that by examining the mindset of individuals who've achieved greatness, we can emulate them and achieve success ourselves.

As you read these Michael Jordan quotes on failure, fear, and success, notice the mindset at work and imagine yourself adopting that same mindset.

"I've never been afraid to fail."

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed."

"I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot... when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result."

"I never thought a role model should be negative."

"I play to win, whether during practice or a real game. And I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win."

"I realize that I'm black, but I like to be viewed as a person, and this is everybody's wish."

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

Jordan clearly understands the "lead, follow, or get out of the way" mindset...

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

"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But 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."

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game."

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

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

'There is no "I" in team but there is in win.'

"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. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don't isolate."

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

There are a ton of websites out there listing famous Michael Jordan quotes, and one of the quotes I see repeated over and over and attributed to Jordan is...

"I'm sorry to see it end."

In trying to find the source of that often repeated famous quote, I ran across this 2003 article from Sports Illustrated...

'"I hate that good things come to an end," MJ, who will retire for good after this season, was saying on Friday morning. "I wish, in all honesty, they didn't have to. But they do." In eight hours he would be introduced, for the final time, to a sellout crowd in Chicago. "I'll try," he said sincerely, "not to cry."'

And a quote from former Chicago Bulls announcer Ray Clay...

"I'm sorry to see it end," he said of Jordan. "But everybody gets old."

"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."

For more Michael Jordan quotes, and quotes by other basketball greats, see these superhero basketball quotes.

New! Comments