Kobe Bryant Quotes

I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it

We don’t quit, we don’t cower, we don’t run. We endure and conquer

If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail

The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.

I was blessed with talent but worked like I had none

We psych ourselves up too much. Like if you try to talk yourself into, 'Oh, this is a big moment, this is a big shot,' you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself. You shot that shot hundreds and thousands of times. Just shoot another one

The only thing I’m afraid of is bees

The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do

Mamba mentality is a constant quest to be the best version of yourself

If you do not believe in yourself, no one will do it for you

These practices, when you're trying to turn this corner, you have to go all-in and hold everybody accountable. Even if it's uncomfortable

It’s about wanting to be better every single day

The only way to be successful is to work harder than everyone else

I never stopped. As simple as that. And I carried that through my whole career

My brain... it cannot process failure. It will not process failure. Because if I sit there and have to face myself and tell myself, 'You're a failure,' I think that's almost worse than death

I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan; I only want to be Kobe Bryant

I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot

The mindset isn’t about seeking a result—it’s more about the process of getting to that result

The game is full of ups and downs, but you always strive to be perfect

A lot of leaders fail because they don’t have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord.

I’m chasing perfection

It’s not about being better than someone else; it’s about being better than you were the day before

I don’t want to be remembered only as a basketball player

Hard work outweighs talent—every time

Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success

If you want to be a better player, you have to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more

I just got one more challenge for you: Wake up every single day to be a better version of yourself

Greatness is not for everybody

Rest at the end, not in the middle

Footwork is the foundation of everything

We can always kind of be average and do what’s normal. I’m not in this to do what’s normal

When I have the chance to guard Michael Jordan, I want to guard him. I want him. It’s the ultimate challenge.

There’s beauty in the struggle; you just have to embrace it

The moment you give up, is the moment you let someone else win

Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.

Have a good time. Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged. You have to keep moving. You have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the other, smile and just keep on rolling.

I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success.

Dedication makes dreams come true

It's not about the number of hours you practice, it's about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice

Everything negative—pressure, challenges—is all an opportunity for me to rise.

Boos don't block dunks

Losing is losing. There aren’t different degrees of losing. You either win a championship or you’re sh*t. It’s very black & white to me

It’s not so much about who is greatest; it’s about how great you can be. How much you can push yourself from day to day

Mamba mentality is about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most

I want to learn how to become the best basketball player in the world. And if I’m going to learn that, I gotta learn from the best

Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most

Trust me, setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and heartache

I’m extremely willful to win, and I respond to challenges. It’s not a challenge to me to win the scoring title because I know I can.

I don't want to be an icon, I want to be a standard

Despite fear, finish the job

I was born to play basketball

I don't want to be remembered for championships. If you remember me, remember the work ethic

I never tried to prove anything to someone else. I wanted to prove something to myself

These big moments are made up of a bunch of little moments stacked together

Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones

The moment you get complacent is the moment you stop growing

I never looked at [basketball] as work. I loved what I did

I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.

I’m reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose

I never needed any external forces to motivate me

Heroes come and go, but legends are forever

I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant

I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what the injury—unless it’s completely debilitating—I’m going to be the same player I’ve always been

Everything negative—pressure, challenges—is all an opportunity for me to rise

To be an effective leader, you have to be a really good listener and not to what's being said, but to what's not being said

People just don’t understand how obsessed I am with winning

It's the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you—or don't. So don't take it lightly

I see the beauty in getting up in the morning and being in pain, because that means I’ve put in a tremendous amount of work the day before

If you want to make history, you have to do historic things

These young guys are playing checkers. I’m out there playing chess

Friends come and go, but banners hang forever

Obsessiveness is believing that, whereas others may see a wall and give up, you see that wall and figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it

The beauty in being blessed with talent is rising above doubters to create a beautiful moment

I create my own path. It was straight and narrow. I looked at it this way: you were either in my way or out of it

Winning takes precedence over all. There’s no gray area. No almosts

If you want to be a better player, you have to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more

The beauty in being blessed with talent is rising above doubters to create a beautiful moment

Basketball is such a beautiful game when played the right way

I want to be remembered as a player who didn’t waste a moment, didn’t waste a day. I felt extremely blessed by the God-given talent, but I worked as if I had none

I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan; I only want to be Kobe Bryant

Success is knowing that you gave your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming

These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess

Passion is the fuel for success

It's not about the shoes, it's about what you do in them

We can always kind of be average and do what’s normal. I’m not in this to do what’s normal.

The most important thing is you must put everybody on notice that you’re here and you are for real

What people see on court is another side of me; it’s not me

Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones

Everything I saw, heard, read, observed, or felt was a chance to learn, to understand more, to be better

Once you open your mind to doing things differently, the doors of opportunity practically fly off their hinges