Great football book quotes provide keen insights into players, coaches, and the game.
From books covering high school football through the pros, we’ve read a lot of football books to arrive at our favorite quotes.
We’ve lined up several for your review, starting with the best from The Blind Side.
Best Football Book Quotes
Check out these notable quotes from famous football books.
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game Quotes
By Michael Lewis
- Don’t worry about where I am; I’ll let you know when I get there.
- I lived here my whole life, and I’ve never been to this neighborhood.’ And Big Mike finally spoke up. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I got your back.’
- When a star running back or wide receiver is injured, the coaches worry about their game plans. When a star quarterback gets hurt, the coaches worry about their jobs.
- He was ignorant, but a lot of people mistook ignorance for stupidity and knowingness for intelligence.
- With men, this is impossible; with God, all things are possible.
- What I learned playing basketball at Ole Miss,” he said, “was what not to do: beat up a kid. It’s easy to beat up a kid. The hard thing is to build him up.
- Good, God! He’s a monster!
More from The Blind Side
- Courage is a hard thing to figure. You can have courage based on a dumb idea or mistake, but you’re not supposed to question adults, or your coach, or your teacher, because they make the rules. Maybe they know best, but maybe they don’t. It all depends on who you are, and where you come from. Didn’t at least one of the six hundred guys think about giving up and joining with the other side? I mean, Valley of Death, that’s pretty salty stuff.
- That’s why courage is tricky. Should you always do what others tell you to do? Sometimes you might not even know why you’re doing something. I mean, any fool can have courage. But honor, that’s the real reason for you either do something or you don’t. It’s who you are and maybe who you want to be. If you die trying for something important, then you have both honor and courage, and that’s pretty good. I think that’s what the writer was saying, that you should hope for courage and try for honor. And maybe even pray that the people telling you what to do have some, too.
- Michael’s gift is that the Good Lord gave him the ability to forget. He’s mad at no one and doesn’t really care what happened. His story might be sad, but he’s not sad.
- God gives people money to see how you’re going to handle it.
More on Michael Oher
Friday Night Lights Quotes
By H. G. Bissinger
Coach Gary Gaines
- Being perfect is when you can look someone in the eye and know you did not let them down.
- We’re in the business of winning.
- Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It’s not about winning. It’s about you and your relationship with yourself, your family, and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasn’t one more thing you could’ve done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that, gentleman – you’re perfect!
- I’ve seen you fight. I’ve seen you not quit. Can you give me a great effort and just a little bit more? Can you be perfect?
More Friday Night Lights
- Boys, my heart is full. My heart is full. Gentlemen, the hopes and dreams of an entire town are riding on your shoulders. You may never matter again in your life as much as you do right now.
- It took me a long time to realize that, uh, there ain’t much difference between winnin’ and losin’, except for how the outside world treats you. But inside you, it’s about all the same. It really is. The fact of the matter is, I believe that, uh, our only curses are the ones that are self-imposed. You know what I’m sayin’? We, all of us, dig our own holes.
- Stop reading the news clippings. You’re small, and you’re going to be smaller every week. There ain’t going to be no growth spurt between now and the first game. You’re going to use your minds! You’re going to play with your heart! And that is what you’re going to use to win the State Championship.
See the American Football Day page.
Inspirational Football Book Quotes
Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen Quotes
By Joe Drape
Coach Roger Barta
- Respect each other, then learn to love each other, and together we are champions.
- I do tell our boys it’s about the journey
- What we do around here real well is raise kids – In fact, we do such a good job at it, and I’m talking about the parents and community that they go away to school and succeed, and then pursue opportunities in the bigger cities.
- Life is basically doing the same thing every day, fulfilling lives come with doing those things with passion, working constantly on the details that no one but you really sees.
- Sure, we like our football around here – But we truly believe it takes a whole town to raise a child, and that’s worth a whole lot more
- None of this is really about football… What I hope we’re doing is sending kids into life who know that every day means something.
Paper Lion Quote
By George Plimpton
- The pleasure of sport was so often the chance to indulge the cessation of time itself–the pitcher dawdling on the mound, the skier poised at the top of a mountain trail, the basketball player with the rough skin of the ball against his palm preparing for a foul shot, the tennis player at set point over his opponent–all of them savoring a moment before committing themselves to action.
Motivational Football Book Quotes
The Score Takes care of itself Quotes
By Bill Walsh
- Even when you have an organization brimming with talent, victory is not always under your control. There is no guarantee, no ultimate formula for success. It all comes down to intelligently and relentlessly seeking solutions that will increase your chance of prevailing. When you do that, the score will take care of itself.
- Believe in People: Push them hard to be their very best. No one will ever come back later and thank you for expecting too little of them.
- Keep a Short Enemies List: One enemy can do more damage than the good done by a hundred friends.
- Sometimes You Can’t Have the Last Word. A leader cannot escape harsh criticism. Ignore the undeserving; learn from the deserving. Lick your wounds and move on. Your bruised ego will get over it.
- Protect Your Blind Side: Prompt yourself to aggressively analyze not only your organization’s strengths but also its unseen vulnerabilities.
Semi-Tough Quotes
By Dan Jenkins
- Laughter is the only thing that cuts trouble down to a size where you can talk to it.
- All day long I’ve been telling myself it’s only a merry-go-round. Some people fall off quicker than others. No big mystery.
Notable Football Insights
- Do you want to know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.”
Mike Singletary - Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.
Bo Jackson - Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence. If you’re in control, they’re in control.
Tom Landry - When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.
Walter Payton - It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.
Vince Lombardi - No one ever drowned in sweat.
Lou Holtz - “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size in the fight of the dog.
Archie Griffin - You cannot make progress with excuses.
Cam Newton - Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.
Jerry Rice - Stay hungry, remain humble, and get better today.
Pete Carroll
Great Football Takes
Here are some more football book quotes.
- Every experience, good or bad, you have to learn from it.
Patrick Mahomes - Every day is an opportunity disguised as a challenge.
Tiki Barber - Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.
Mike Ditka - I think the thing about that was I was always willing to work; I was not the fastest or biggest player but I was determined to be the best football player I could be on the football field and I think I was able to accomplish that through hard work.
Jerry Rice - I’ve always tried to coach people the way I would like to be coached; positively and encouragingly rather than with criticism and fear…I’ve tried to be as fair as possible.
Tony Dungy - It’s not the will to win that matters. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.
Paul “Bear” Bryant
Pigskin Insights
- I have yet to be in a game where luck was involved.
Urban Meyer - You fail all the time, but you aren’t a failure until you start blaming someone else.
Bum Phillips - Excuses are the tools of the incompetent.
Mike Tomlin - Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble.
John Madden
These football book quotes serve as a powerful reminder of the crossover between sports and real life. I hope you enjoyed it.
By Mike O’Halloran
Founder and Editor, Sports Feel Good Stories
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