When we think of training for sports, we often think about weightlifting, following a healthy diet, and strength and conditioning. We very rarely think about mental training as being an essential part of softball training. Yet…

Being mentally tough is arguably the most important part of being successful in sport, especially one that is failure-based like softball. Not only will mentality training help in softball, but, more importantly, it’ll help in life too.

So, then how come we don’t talk about mental toughness as much as we talk about the physical side of the game?

Yes, you have to be physically strong to be successful, but you also have to be mentally strong too. We devote hours and hours, year in and year out to practicing our physical skills, why don’t we do the same for the mental side?

While you’re pondering that, we found the top 48 quotes on the power of mentality! Please read them and tell us, do you think mental toughness is the key to success? Or do you think it’s something else?

48 Powerful Quotes on Mental Toughness

1) “Mental toughness is spartanism with qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication. It is fearlessness, and it is love.” ―Vince Lombardi

2) “Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.” ―Bill Russell

3) “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” ―Thomas Jefferson

4) “It’s when the discomfort strikes that they realize a strong mind is the most powerful weapon of all.” ―Chrissie Wellington

5) “I honestly believe that with a strong mind, you can literally ‘will’ the ball into the hole.” ―Ray Floyd

6) “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” ―Marcus Aurelius

7) “Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them―a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” ―Muhammad Ali

8) Arnold Schwarzenegger says it best, “The first step is to really believe that becoming massive is possible … In the same way you can command your muscles to lift heavy weights when everything else suggests that you cannot, so you can mentally coax your muscles to grow larger and stronger.”

9) “[The game] is 90% mental, the other half is physical.” – Yogi Berra

10) “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

11) “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh

12) “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” -Dale Carnegie

13) “I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.” – Serena Williams

14) “Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it.” – Mia Hamm

15) “We may encounter many defeats, but we must never be defeated.” – Maya Angelou

16) “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you.” – Derek Jeter

17) “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

18) “Winners build on mistakes. Losers dwell on them.” – Arnold Mori

19) “Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.” – Peter McIntyre

20) “I figure practice puts your brains in your muscles.” – Sam Snead

21) “Luck? Sure. But only after long practice and only with the ability to think under pressure.” – Babe Didrikson Zaharias

22) “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased.” – Heber Grant

23) “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

24) “All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” – Buddha

25) “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” – Edmund Hillary

26) “The ability to continue moving when you are feeling scared, fearful or lazy is the sign of true mental strength.” – Matthew Donnelly

27) “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” – Vince Lombardi

28) “You just can’t beat the person who won’t give up.” – Babe Ruth

29) “He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.” – Marcus Aurelius

30) “If you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up.” – Shia Labeouf

31) “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun

32) “You don’t have to love it. You just have to believe it’s worth it in the end.” – Tim S. Grover

33) “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

34) “Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change.” – Unknown

35) “You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.” – Mahatma Gandhi

36) “Happiness is beneficial for the body, but it is grief that develops the powers of the mind.” – Marcel Proust

37) “You can discard most of the junk that clutters your mind – things that exist only there – and clear out space for yourself.” – Marcus Aurelius

38) “There are two ways to be happy: change the situation, or change your mindset towards it.” – Unknown

39) “Earn with your mind, not your time.” – Naval Ravikant

40) “Liberate the minds of men and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men.” – Marcus Garvey

41) “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw

42) “You can be a victim of cancer, or a survivor of cancer. It’s a mindset.” – Dave Pelzer

43) “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch

44) “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Aristotle

45) “Give up the belief that mind is, even temporarily, compressed within the skull, and you will quickly become more manly or womanly. You will understand yourself and your Maker better than before.” – Mary Baker Eddy

46) “I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it’s going to rain, it will.” – Clint Eastwood

47) “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” – Carrie Fisher

48) “Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” – Laird Hamilton

We hope you are starting to see the value in mentality training! If you need some drills to help build mental skills, this is a good resource to start.

Which quote on the power of mentality was your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below!

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