Football is such an all-American sport, from the stadiums of cheering fans to the touchdown dances by the beloved players. If you need any further proof that it's a sport made for the most amazing country on the planet, then these 16 inspirational football quotes should help. Spoken by the players who know the game better than anyone else, you'll learn that there's a lot you can get out of the sport of football.
I think it's pretty fair to say that whether or not you're a huge football fan, you can't deny that the sport requires some serious skills. From speed and strength to agility and coordination, you really have to have it all to make it on that 360 foot field. I don't think that football itself is the epitome of life, but I do think that there's much to learn about life through football.
Watching a game on the television, and especially watching a game in the stadium, is an experience like no other. What other American sport do you have full grown men barreling through each other while still making graceful passes and nearly unbelievable catches? Football is an intense game, and if there's anything you get out of these quotes, let it begin with that.
1. "Football is like life — it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority." — Vince Lombardi
2. "I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that." — Jerry Rice
3. "If my mother put on a helmet and shoulder pads and a uniform that wasn't the same as the one I was wearing, I'd run over her if she was in my way. And I love my mother." — Bo Jackson
4. "Football is football and talent is talent. But the mindset of your team makes all the difference." — Robert Griffin III
5. "People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society." — Vince Lombardi
6. "Football is an incredible game. Sometimes it's so incredible, it's unbelievable." — Tom Landry
7. "My thing is, and I've always been this way — to get to know as many people as I possibly can on a personal level, so that way, when you get on the football field, you've got your buddy right beside you, and you're ready to go." — Russell Wilson
8. "No one has ever drowned in sweat." — Lou Holtz
9. "Pressure is something you feel when you don't know what the hell you're doing." — Peyton Manning
10. "The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur." — Vince Lombardi
11. "I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon." — Cam Newton
12. "There is a difference between conceit and confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done." — Johnny Unitas
13. "Make sure when anyone tackles you he remembers how much it hurts." — Jim Brown
14. "Football is an honest game. It's true to life. It's a game about sharing. Football is a team game. So is life." — Joe Namath
15. "Every time you lose you die a little bit. You die inside... a portion of you. Not all of your organs. Maybe just your liver." — George Allen
16. "After the cheers have died down and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been written and after you are back in the quiet of your room and the championship ring has been placed on the dresser and all the pomp and fanfare has faded, the enduring things that are left are: the dedication to excellence, the dedication to victory, and the dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live." — Vince Lombardi