Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.

Some people may like to argue the point, but it's really not up for debate. Of course, you don't get to win six NBA championships and star in one of the most beloved millennial films of all time (Space Jam) without being a massive competitor.

Naturally, the GOAT has some pretty insightful quotes that'll leave you feeling like a champion.

1. "I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

Winners never quit, and quitters never win. Jordan is known for his tenacious work ethic. It's good to remember that everyone fails, but effort and how you get back up are what matter, as Jordan conveys in his 1994 book I Can't Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence.

2. “Never say never. Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.”

This quote from his 2009 Hall of Fame induction address is another way of saying the sky is the limit. Jordan famously didn't even initially make his high school varsity team. Limits are only what you allow them to be.

3. "Can I still dunk… Are you stupid?"

On a 2010 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the former night show host got wild when he asked Jordan if he could still dunk. You should always feel free to let people know when they have you twisted. Air Jordan is largely named for his iconic, launched from the free-throw line, dunk.

4. "I'm back."

MJ retired in 1993 for a short stint to curiously play minor league baseball. There wasn't a Twitter back then, so he let the press know he was returning via fax with a simple "I'm back." No, seriously. He retired and returned once more before he finally called it quits in 2003. If this simple quote tells us nothing it's you should always keep your audience on their toes.

5. “I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six 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.”

Success is a practice as evidenced by Jordan's reveal of his failures in Nike Culture: The Sign of the Swoosh. Jordan didn't become a champion because he was perfect, he became one because he capitalized on his imperfections by making himself the best. It's always good to remember you can't make the shots you don't take.

6 .“You can practice shooting 8 hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”

You have to crawl before you walk as Jordan illustrates in The Champion’s Comeback: How Great Athletes Recover, Reflect, and Reignite. The basics are the foundation for your empire. Get the fundamentals down in whatever craft you have, and greatness is bound to follow.

Michael-Jordan-Quotes

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week