Quotes by Michael Jordan

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

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

Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.

Don't be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.

If you can't stop thinking about it, don't stop working on it.

Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.

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.

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

Don't let others drag you down by rumors. Just go with what you believe in.

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've failed over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed.

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I cannot accept not trying.

The players today reflect how much the game has evolved and changed both in style and culture. ... The game now has a wider appeal to a larger market.

You remember the remarks you made in 1994 about, 'I think I can guard you, I can shut you down, I would love to play against you?' Well, you're about to get your chance.

Even though, physically, I can't do it, the mind says, 'Yeah, I can still do it,' and I still think I can do it better than most in the NBA.

Being nervous isn't bad. It just means something important is happening.

I just feel that at this particular time in my career, I've reached the pinnacle of my career, I've achieved a lot in that short amount of time, if you want to call it short, but I just feel that I don't have anything else to myself to prove.

I'm retired 99.9%. Of course, there always is that .1%.

I hate being out there with those garbage men. They don't get you the ball.

You're an idiot. You've screwed up every play we ever ran. You're too stupid to even remember the plays. We ought to get rid of you.

It's probably a twelve-day. He needs two days to wake up.

We're beating a lot of poor teams. So what? We won a lot of games last year, too. Will Horace and Bill still be playing at this level in the playoffs...Can Pip keep it up?

If you pass the ball to Bill Cartwright, you'll never get the ball from me.

Its better to shoot and miss, then to let time run out and wonder what if.

Each time I step on the basketball court, I never know what will happen. I live for the moment. I play for the moment.

You believe an eye for an eye until you are put in that situation. If they kill those guys, it really doesn't mean much to me. My father is gone.

I'm a firm believer in goal setting. Step by step. I can't see any other way of accomplishing anything.

Be optimistic about everything in life.

If I have something and move forward, it is only my weakness, which I hate and turn into my strength. You are not lost as long as you do not give up!

There was never any fear for me, no fear of failure. If I miss a shot, so what?

You don't show up on game day and expect to be great. Greatness happens
in practice. You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.

You know what I think? Very few people play because they love the game. Most of them play because they make good money. They keep playing because of the money. I could care less about it. If I don't love the game, no check is going to keep me playing.

But my drive to win is so great ... I just step over that line. ... It's very embarrassing, ... one of the things you totally regret. So you look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'I was stupid.'

I know what's within me even if you can't see it yet...I have something more important than courage, I have patience. I will become what I know I am.

I never feared about my skills because I put in the work. Work ethic eliminates fear. So if you put forth the work, what are you fearing? You know what you're capable of doing and what you're not.

I heave the basketball; I know it sails in a parabola, exhibiting perfect symmetry, which is interrupted by the basket. It's funny, but it is always interrupted by the basket.

The basketball court for me, during a game, is the most peaceful place I can imagine. On the basketball court, I worry about nothing. When I'm out there, no one can bother me.

When I step onto the court, I don't have to think about anything. If I have a problem off the court, I find that after I play, my mind is clearer and I can come up with a better solution. It's like therapy. It relaxes me and allows me to solve problems.

When I play against someone that's new in the league, I make him respect me. They may have heard about me, but now you get to see me actually in front of you. That drives me.

You have to be able to say, OK, that happened back then. Now let's take it from here and see what happens. It would be very easy to hate people for the rest of your life, and some people have done that. You've got to deal with what's happening now and try to make things better.

Sometimes I wonder what it will be like to look back on all this. Whether it will seem real.

I'd take 12 guys who had a strong passion for the game over 12 guys who don't respect the game.

I know what I would do if I were coach. I'd determine our strengths and weaknesses and utilize them. And it's pretty clear what our strength is.

Anyone who would argue that this third-generation MDX is an SUV might as well belong to the Flat Earth Society. The 2014 Acura MDX is the perfect expression of the modern car -- capable, spacious, and friendly to drive.

I'm not afraid to take a step and if I fall, I fall. I pick myself up and move on. If we can all learn one thing in life, it's don't be afraid to take on something that you believe you're capable of achieving.

Because I want every kid to be viewed as a person rather than as a member of a certain race does not mean that I'm not black enough... Do they want me to be positive just for black kids and negative for everybody else?

I Own the guy guarding me.

Basketball isn't just about the bright lights, packed arenas and highlight reels. Basketball is a way of life. Basketball is a relationship between you and the ball, you and your teammates. If you love the game, nobody can take that from you.

Accept a loss as a learning experience, and never point fingers at your teammates.

I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. I approached everything step by step.

Learning 's a gift, even when pain ,s your teacher!

It's easier for me to get ready for a game on the road because you're expected to lose when you play away from home. That's a challenge to right there and that perks my competitive juices.

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

Suddenly all is quiet. The other nine players? They're all moving in slow motion! I'm at normal speed! I know where everyone's going even before they know themselves. The basket is huge, maybe six feet across! How can I miss? It's like throwing a rock into a pond.

When I got cut from the varsity team as a sophomore in high school, I learned something. I knew I never wanted to feel that bad again. I never wanted to have that taste in my mouth, that hole in my stomach. So I set a goal of becoming a starter on the varsity.

I went to a bookstore to try to find a book. The bottom line is, it all comes by trial and error. It was scary and exciting at first you don't know what to expect. But once you look into your child's eyes, you forget about that.

If I had been playing for money I would have complained a long time ago that I was underpaid.

Don't let them drag you down by rumors just go with what you believe in.

I have failed many times, but I have never gone into a game expecting myself to fail.

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

I would tell players to relax and never think about what's at stake. Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you've lost your focus.

Patience. I will become what I know I am.

The key to success is failure.

The harder I prepare, the luckier I seem to get.

Live the moment for the moment.

Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.

Work ethics eliminates fear.

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

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

If you quit once it becomes a habit. Never quit.

DI can accept failure, but i can't accept not trying.

Success isn't something you chase. It's something you have to put forth the effort for constantly. Then maybe it'll come when you least expect it. Most people don't understand that.

The good part about being famous is being able to help people. The hard part is every day you have to be in a good mood, because that is what people expect. You learn to get good at it.

Any fear is an illusion. You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there. What is there is an opportunity to do your best and gain some success.

Not every flying hero has a cape.

Another day, another opportunity to prove everyone who doubts you wrong.

My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind.

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

If it turns out that my best wasn't good enough, at least I won't look back and say that I was afraid to try; failure makes me work even harder.

If you are confident you have done everything possible to prepare yourself, then there is nothing to fear.

It doesn't matter if you fall down, it's whether you get back up.

Anything can happen if you are willing to put in the work and remain open to the possibility. Dreams are realized by effort, determination, passion and staying connected to that sense of who you are.

If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it.

Failure gave me strength. Pain was my motivation.

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 do not have a problem, I enjoy gambling, but I think people are trying to make it seem like I have a problem, because people really don't know.

In college I never realized the opportunities available to a pro athlete. I've been given the chance to meet all kinds of people, to travel and expand my financial capabilities, to get ideas and learn about life, to create a world apart from basketball.

It's absolutely wrong that I don't want guys to challenge me. And the people who say that aren't in the room.

It's hard to say if the NBA is hurt by the influx of younger players, but it's definitely impacted the league.

I've had tendinitis since college.

Being Michael Jordan means acting the same as I always have.

It's a habit of mine now, noticing labels, logos, shoes.

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

I will not quit this game because of what the media has done to me.

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.

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.

Winning isn't always championships.

It is nerve-wracking watching my kids' games.

I want to be the bridge to the next generation.

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

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

I'm not a Twitterer, I'm not a twerker, I'm not a Facebooker, I'm not nothing. I'm old school.

I won't have any competitive instincts in any sports, other than golf. I can't see being competitive in sports any more.

We all fly. Once you leave the ground, you fly. Some people fly longer than others.

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.

The best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are.

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.'

There's only one Michael Jordan.

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

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.

One day, you might look up and see me playing the game at 50. Don't laugh. Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.

I'd like to be settled into somewhat of a normal life. Somewhat. I know it's never going to be completely normal.

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.

I know the signs of scaredness.

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

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.

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

I think the players win the championship, and the organization has something to do with it, don't get me wrong. But don't try to put the organization above the players.