Inspirational Quotations on Performance

The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch.
—Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker

There is nothing in all the world so satisfying as a task well done. There is no reward so pleasing as that which comes with the mastery of a difficult problem.
—Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) American Mormon Religious Leader

One body cannot perform two services.
—Chinese Proverb

Each honest calling, each walk of life, has its own elite, its own aristocracy based on excellence of performance.
—James Bryant Conant (1893–1978) American Chemist, Educator

There’s no such thing as coulda, shoulda, or woulda. If you shoulda and coulda, you woulda done it.
—Pat Riley (b.1945) American Basketball Player, Coach

Too aim is not enough, you must hit!
—German Proverb

Concentration, Confidence, Competitive urge, Capacity for enjoyment.
—Arnold Palmer (1929–2016) American Professional Golfer

Many things difficult in design prove easy in performance.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist

I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.
—G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) English Journalist, Novelist, Essayist, Poet

Life is like a ballet performance—danced only once.
—African Proverb

You don’t concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.
—Chuck Yeager (1923–2020) American Test Pilot, Air Force Officer

We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner of doing it.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English Essayist

Perform good deeds; you will not regret them.
—Moroccan Proverb

Wise to resolve, patient to perform.
—Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German Poet, Dramatist

People say to me, “You were a roaring success. How did you do it?” I go back to what my parents taught me. Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don’t just stand there, make something happen.
—Lee Iacocca (1924–2019) American Businessperson

Great works are done when one is not calculating and thinking.
—D. T. Suzuki (1870–1966) Japanese Buddhist Philosopher

Of the mental hazards, being scared is the worst. When you get scared, you get tense.
—Sam Snead (1912–2002) American Professional Golfer

Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance?
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright

You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That’s the mark of a true professional.
—Joe Paterno (1926–2012) American College Football Coach

A total commitment is paramount to reaching the ultimate in performance.
—Tom Flores (b.1937) American Football Coach, Player

If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.
—Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) American Author

Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
—John Wooden (1910–2010) American Basketball Coach, Educator

The medals don’t mean anything and the glory doesn’t last. It’s all about your happiness. The rewards are going to come, but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing.
—Jackie Joyner-Kersee (b.1962) American Athlete

Being relaxed, at peace with yourself, confident, emotionally neutral, loose, and free-floating – these are the keys to successful performance in almost everything.
—Wayne Dyer (1940–2015) American Self-Help Author

How much we like ourselves governs our performance.
—Brian Tracy (b.1944) American Author, Motivational Speaker

Slumps are like a soft bed. They’re easy to get into and hard to get out of.
—Johnny Bench (b.1947) American Baseball Player, Commentator

I don’t feel right unless I have a sport to play or at least a way to work up a sweat.
—Hank Aaron (1934–2021) American Baseball Player

Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul.
—Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) Florentine Political Philosopher

Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.
—Ralph Marston American Self-Help Author

It is much more difficult to measure non-performance than performance. Performance stands out like a ton of diamonds. Non-performance can almost always be explained away.
—Harold S. Geneen (1910–1997) British-American Businessman