Tough Quotes

“Is it easy?
No it ain’t
Can I fix it?
No I cain’t
But I sure ain’t gonna take it lyin’ down”
― Dolly Parton, Run, Rose, Run

“She’s got some Cross Guns in her veins, too. What this means, Gabe knows, it’s that she’s going to reach an age where she’ll want to take the world in her teeth and shake until she tears a hunk of something off for herself. And then, whether it’s good or bad, whether it’s a scholarship or a five-year bid in state or two kids in as many years, she’ll sit in the corner by herself and chew it down, dare anybody to say this isn’t exactly what she wanted.”
― Stephen Graham Jones, The Only Good Indians

“There is no right way to be black or white or anything else. There are literally thousands of different ways to be in this world, so ultimately all you can be is yourself.”
― Terry Crews, Tough: My Journey to True Power

“The purpose of being tough is not to attack, but to protect. The purpose of being strong is not to dominate, but to support. The purpose of having power is not to rule, but to serve. What I've learned is that to be a true man is to be the ultimate servant. With any talent or advantage that life has give you, whether by birth or by circumstance, your duty is to use that advantage in the service of others.”
― Terry Crews, Tough: My Journey to True Power

“Learning to live without shame gave me genuine empathy for the first time. I look at every person in the world, and I understand that we've all got issues and we're all in the process of becoming. If someone hasn't vanquished their demons, or doesn't know how to vanquish their demons, or isn't even aware that they have demons to vanquish - I get it, because I lived that way for the first forty-two years of my life, and I've been unlearning it every day for the last ten.”
― Terry Crews, Tough: My Journey to True Power

“You don't work for money. You work for appreciation. You work to create value and to be valued. What we're seeing at this moment, with millions of people leaving their jobs in the wake of COVID, is telling. People are reevaluating their lives because of this tragedy we've all been through. Businesses can't stay open because they can't find workers. They're begrudgingly raising the wages they're willing to pay, which is a good thing, but at the end of the day, it isn't about the money. It's about being valued in your job and believing your work creates value.”
― Terry Crews

“You’re going to experience adversity; you’re going to have days that are incredibly challenging, even scary. There are going to be days that cause you to question your motives and ability. It’s important to realize that the toughest days are your best days, because they have the potential to force the most adaptation—mentally, as well as physically.”
― Ben Bergeron, Chasing Excellence: A Story About Building the World’s Fittest Athletes

“If you have quick verbal skills, use humor to deflect attacks. A quip instead of a counterattack can ease tension, reduce the impact of the other person's aggression, and help build the relationship. When in doubt, use self-deprecating humor such as, “Oh, I see, all you want me to do is to cave in, go belly up, and hand you everything you want. I guess I must come across as the weakest player in the universe.” And with tough bargainers, don't give in too soon; otherwise they might worry that they could have gained more and left too much on the table. In such cases, you must let them believe that they have wrested every last concession from you.”
― Allan R. Cohen, Influence Without Authority

“Ninguna persona, cosa ni experiencia deben alterar en ningún momento ni lugar tu coherencia química interior. Puedes pensar, actuar y sentir de distinta manera siempre que lo desees.”
― Joe Dispenza, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One

“We have three baskets: in, out, and too tough. … We have to have a special insight, or we’ll put it in the “too tough” basket. —CHARLIE MUNGER, WESCO ANNUAL MEETING, 2002”
― Tren Griffin, Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor

“I always seek to provide value in the entertainment that I create, but in addition to that, tithing makes every dollar I earn valuable no matter what, because 10 percent of every dollar is going to someone in need. When the Bible speaks of giving back, it tells the story of farmers who, when harvesting from their orchards, always leave something on the vine for those who have nothing. If you have ten apples, you pick nine and leave one. That's what I do. Ten percent of every dollar I make goes to pay for a shelter to help a woman like my mom escape a man like my dad. Ten percent of every dollar I make goes to helping a kid like my childhood friend Chris stay off the streets. Ten percent of every dollar I make goes to helping students get the kind of scholarship that would have allowed me to follow my dream of going to art school. Because I tithe, everything I do has value.”
― Terry Crews, Tough: My Journey to True Power

“Interpreting running as an opportunity to discover and become his best self, and to give his best to others, through the relentless pursuit of toughness, or guts—a kind of courage.”
― Matt Fitzgerald, How Bad Do You Want It? Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle

“Mentally tough athletes know how to stay focused and deal with adversity.”
― Gary Mack, Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

“Mentally tough athletes possess an inner strength. They often play their best when they’re feeling their worst. They don’t make excuses.”
― Gary Mack, Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

“But getting the mind right when things are not going ideally is the key to athletic excellence. Good perspective in the face of adversity qualifies as “mental toughness” — the coin of the realm for elite athletes.”
― H.A. Dorfman, The Mental Keys to Hitting: A Handbook of Strategies for Performance Enhancement

“This confidence may come from their parents. When they encounter a tough problem or a tough course, they plug away at it. They persevere. Their confidence makes a major contribution to their success.”
― Bob Rotella, How Champions Think: In Sports and in Life

“Smush was a slight, crafty player who was good at slipping through defenses to attack the basket and playing tough, full-court defense.”
― Phil Jackson, Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success

“Courage. A mentally tough athlete must be willing to take a risk. That’s what peak performers do. In the book Adversity Quotient author Paul Stoltz compares success with a mountain. Only climbers get to the top. The campers, those who get part of the way up and decide to stay where they are, will never feel as alive or as proud as the climbers. As the philosopher said, it takes courage to grow up and to achieve your full potential.”
― Gary Mack, Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

“Most of us carry a faded old picture in our heads of what a great captain looks like. It’s usually an attractive person who possesses an abundance of strength, skill, wisdom, charisma, diplomacy, and unflappable calm. These people are not supposed to be difficult to spot. In our imaginations they’re talkative and articulate, charismatic but firm, tough but gracious, and respectful of authority. We expect leaders, especially in sports, to pursue their goals with gusto but to never wander from the principles of sportsmanship and fair play. We believe, as the Stanford social psychologist Deborah Gruenfeld put it, that power is reserved for the kind of person “who possesses some combination of superior charm and ruthless ambition that the rest of us don’t.”
― Sam Walker, The Captain Class: The Hidden Force that Creates the World's Greatest Teams

“The cadets wake up each morning and check on the way each group member is feeling. They fire up the ones who are tired or discouraged. They give their units and themselves nicknames as a way of creating unit cohesion. To the outside world, a cadet might be Joe Smith. But within the unit, he’s Badger, and Badger is a tough kid who takes whatever the army can dish out and never quits.”
― Bob Rotella, How Champions Think: In Sports and in Life

“A growing number of elite runners — including Kara Goucher, Doc Patton, and Paula Radcliffe — are proving that it’s possible to balance a tough training schedule with a family. In fact, some say that having a baby has actually helped them achieve better balance.”
― Anonymous

“Because it is the recreational athletes who inspire me through the tough times, the everyday heroes who juggle training with a full-time job, a family and other commitments.”
― Chrissie Wellington, A Life Without Limits: A World Champion's Journey

“Especially if you’re the lone or first woman among men or you’re thrown into an unfamiliar situation. My time with the Cardinals taught me a few failsafe strategies for effectively achieving what you want. New situations are going to be tough, there’s no changing that. The “getting to know you” phase is difficult and awkward. My personal philosophy is to disarm them to charm them. Disarm Them to Charm Them: Show Your Lighter Side”
― Jen Welter, Play Big: Conquer Your Fears and Make Your Dreams a Reality - Lessons from the First Woman to Coach in the NFL

“The more independent Sarah had inherited some of her father’s toughness and seemed better able to cope with being a Churchill. Funny, beautiful and at ease with the rich and famous around her.”
― Sonia Purnell, Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill

“Some professionals will do almost anything for a chance to work on tough tasks.”
― Allan R. Cohen, Influence Without Authority

“The challenge and chance to learn is its own reward. It is usually not difficult to figure out ways of offering challenge. Asking your potential allies to join the problem-solving group or passing them a tough piece of your project are ways to pay in the currency of challenge. (If the person is competent, you probably get back more than expected.)”
― Allan R. Cohen, Influence Without Authority

“Porque si sigues con la misma personalidad, no podrás crear una nueva realidad personal.”
― Joe Dispenza, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself / Life Leverage / How to be F*cking Awesome / Mindset with Muscle

“For a few seconds, a thought creeps in. He could pull out his GPS and end it. He could hit that button, and they would come to find him within an hour. That's the easy way out. While looking down, a tattoo slips out from under his sleeve. Not Done.”
― B.A. Bellec, Someone's Story

“When the going gets tough, still do not quit.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

“Still trust in God, even if the going gets tough.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita