The 18 Greatest Michael Jordan Quotes About Success And Winning

Few athletes have ever tasted success on a level that is comparable to Michael Jordan, the G.O.A.T. The ‘Jumpman’ is one of the most successful athletes in history, both on the court and off, and his advice about success, winning, and overcoming adversity is advice we can all take to heart. These are the 18 greatest Michael Jordan quotes about success and winning in life.

No name is more synonymous with NBA greatness than Michael Jordan’s is. He is a 6x NBA Champion, 6x NBA Finals MVP, 5x NBA Most Valuable Player, 14x NBA All-Star, 3x NBA All-Star Game MVP, 10x NBA Scoring Champion, and 9x NBA All-Defensive First Team.

Michael Jordan has also, of course, seen unimaginable success off the court with the Jordan Brand and countless other partnerships throughout the years. He’s a model of success to billions worldwide.

He has also dropped pearls of wisdom throughout the years so today we take a look at the 18 greatest Michael Jordan quotes about success, winning, and overcoming adversity.

1. On Failure And Success

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” — Michael Jordan

2. On Being Selfish

“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.” — Michael Jordan

3. On Wanting vs Doing

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” — Michael Jordan

4. On Facing Adversity

“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.” — Michael Jordan

5. On Evaluating Competition

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

6. On Training Like You Compete

“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.” — Michael Jordan

7. On Accepting Failure

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” — Michael Jordan

8. On Expectations And Outcomes

“If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.” — Michael Jordan

9. On Talent Versus Teamwork

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” — Michael Jordan

10. On Why He's Succeeded

“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.” — Michael Jordan

11. On Expecting Greatness

“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” — Michael Jordan

12. On Not Being Afraid Of Consequences

“I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot… when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.” — Michael Jordan

13. On Flipping The Script

“Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.” — Michael Jordan

14. On Weakness And Strength

“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.” — Michael Jordan

15. On Not Taking Shortcuts In Life

“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.” — Michael Jordan

16. On Focus And Effort

“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.” — Michael Jordan

17. On Greatness

“I believe greatness is an evolutionary process that changes and evolves era to era.” — Michael Jordan

18. On Achieving The Unachievable

“Limits, like fear, is often an illusion.” — Michael Jordan