Bear Bryant Quotes

It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.

Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.

Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.

Don’t give up at halftime. Concentrate on winning the second half.

Losing doesn’t make me want to quit, it makes me want to fight that much harder.

I make my practices real hard because if a player is a quitter, I want him to quit in practice, not in a game.

If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride—and never quit—you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.

The first time you quit, it’s hard. The second time, it gets easier. The third time, you don’t even have to think about it.

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

If you want to walk the heavenly streets of gold, you gotta know the password, ‘Roll Tide Roll!’

In order to have a winner, the team must have a feeling of unity; every player must put the team first—ahead of personal glory.

I’ll never give up on a player regardless of his ability as long as he never gives up on himself. In time, he will develop.

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.

Never be too proud to get down on your knees and pray.

The biggest mistake coaches make is taking borderline cases and trying to save them. I’m not talking about grades now; I’m talking about character.

Mama wanted me to be a preacher. Daddy wanted me to be a coach. So I became a preacher in a coach’s form.

If you want to get to the top, you must first get off your bottom.

The old lessons (work hard, respect your elders, be disciplined) still apply to those who want to have success.

Defense is really simple. It’s like putting your hand in a bear’s mouth.

If you believe in your team, neither rain, nor snow, nor losing seasons can keep you from loving them.

Sacrifice. Work. Self-discipline. I teach these things, and my boys don’t forget them when they leave.

It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.

Offense is not based on size or speed; it’s a state of mind.

Victory is not the property of brilliant men. It is the crown for those who bow themselves in humility and hard work.

The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards.

You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.

Winning does not tempt me because it is fleeting. It’s loyalty that I cherish.

The idea of molding boys into men and women into ladies excites me.

Success comes when you are willing to put in the work, even when no one is watching.

The game is won or lost before you leave the locker room.

I’m no miracle worker. I’m just willing to give everything I have.

The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it.

The only thing that matters is that you have the will to win.

Tough times don’t last. Tough teams do.

It’s not the hours you put in, but what you put into the hours.

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.

Character is not just about what you do on the field, but also what you do when no one is watching.

You have to learn how to lose before you can expect to win.

Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.

Being a part of something bigger than yourself is the ultimate reward.

The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That’s the essence of it.

Don’t let your successes go to your head, or your failures go to your heart.

You can’t always control the outcome, but you can control your effort and attitude.

Success is not in the winning, but in the achieving.

You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.

You never fail until you stop trying.

When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn.

Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

If you’re doing your best, you’re doing enough.