75+ Best Mia Hamm Quotes For Aspiring Athletes

The two time Olympic gold medalist Mia Hamm is known as the best female soccer player in the world.

Born in Selma, Alabama, United States, Mia was introduced to the world of sports by her brother, Garett. She was picked for the U.S Soccer team at an impressive age of 15.

She helped secure four NCAA women's championships for her college before she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mia Hamm was the youngest team member of the U.S team to win the World Cup in the year 1991.  It was she who said, "Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them." And sticking to her words, she and her team went on to win the World Cup again in the year 1999. She won gold medals in the Olympics twice in the years 1996 and 2004, and she was also awarded World Player Of The Year twice by FIFA.

Mia believes that hard work will always bear fruit, as seen in her comments that, "the backbone of success is usually found in old-fashioned, basic concepts like hard work, determination, good planning, and perseverance". By the time she retired in the year 2004, she had scored 158 goals in competitions involving international teams. The highest by any male or female at that time. She was a true champion who lived by her words: "The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when nobody else is looking"!

Here, we bring you some of the most famous Mia Hamm quotes to get you on track to success, for more inspiration check out these Alex Morgan quotes and Serena Williams quotes.

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Need that spark to get back up? These inspirational soccer quotes and Mia Hamm quotes, which emphasize the importance of hard work, determination, good planning and more, will surely help!

1. "A winner is that person who gets up one more time than she is knocked down..."

-Mia Hamm.

2. "Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it."

-Mia Hamm.

3. "The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking."

-Mia Hamm.

4. "True champions aren't always the ones that win, but those with the most guts."

-Mia Hamm.

5. "I learned a long time ago that there is something worse than missing the goal, and that's not pulling the trigger."

-Mia Hamm.

6. "You're worth the investment in yourself and what you feel, you can and want to be"

-Mia Hamm.

7. "It isn't sacrifice if you love what you're doing."

-Mia Hamm.

8. "You may get skinned knees and elbows, but it's worth it if you score a spectacular goal."

-Mia Hamm.

9. "Experience means you did a lot of things wrong."

-Mia Hamm.

10. "Learn to differentiate between what is truly important and what can be dealt with at another time."

-Mia Hamm.

These female soccer player quotes by Mia Hamm will remind you why the woman in you loves the game, why you have to grind it out another day on the field, why you have to "play for her".

11. "Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her."

-Mia Hamm.

12. "I got to experience soccer at the highest level at a young age; I decided I wanted to be part of that for as long as possible."

-Mia Hamm.

13. "My coach said I run like a girl, I said if he could run a little faster he could too"

-Mia Hamm.

14. "Many people say I'm the best women's soccer player in the world. I don't think so. And because of that, someday I just might be."

-Mia Hamm.

15. "I know I wouldn't be here, and all of us wouldn't be here, without certain sacrifices and certain stands that people have made, not just women, but men stepping up and supporting what we do and how we do it."

-Mia Hamm.

16. "After each game, I want to be able to say: I gave it all I could, I gave it my best."

-Mia Hamm.

17.  "I hope all you young girls see yourself up there... we were just like you."

-Mia Hamm.

18. "Good players create opportunities. The great players and the great people seize them"

-Mia Hamm.

19. "I played basketball and soccer my freshman year in high school."

-Mia Hamm.

20. "I played soccer because my friends did. Besides we got sodas afterwards."

-Mia Hamm.

Mia Hamm was not only a good player in general, she was also a great team player.

21. "I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion."

-Mia Hamm.

22. "Being a good teammate is when you try to sprint down a ball that everyone thinks is going out of bounds. But you go after it anyways and you get it."

-Mia Hamm.

23. "I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down."

-Mia Hamm.

24. "I’m a part of a team, and I’m no better or any worse than any single player on this team."

-Mia Hamm.

25. "It’s not about me. It has never been all about me. If it had, this would have been a really lonely journey."

-Mia Hamm.

26. "Goals have never defined me as a player. What has defined me is my impact on the team. If that means passing or playing defense to win, I'll do it."

-Mia Hamm.

27. "We play because we love the game, we love each other, and we love to win."

-Mia Hamm.

28. "The whole team enjoys playing exciting soccer for the fans and my part in that makes me feel good about myself."

-Mia Hamm.

29. "The whole concept of teamwork is what keeps us all going."

-Mia Hamm.

30. "It’s my role to create scoring chances, and to come through for my teammates is extremely satisfying."

-Mia Hamm.

Sports can influence our lives in many ways. Take a look at these Mia Hamm quotes and motivational soccer quotes that show how it changed her life.

31. "Sport taught me how to goal set, it really gave me a voice and identity."

-Mia Hamm.

32. "Sports are not about awards or world championships, though those are great. They're about the relationships we have with each other."

-Mia Hamm.

33. "Sports can do so much. It's given me confidence, self-esteem, discipline, and motivation."

-Mia Hamm.

34. "Sports have become increasingly more specialized, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be fun."

-Mia Hamm.

35. "Every single day I wake up and commit to myself to becoming a better player."

-Mia Hamm.

36. "The most important attribute a player must have is mental toughness."

-Mia Hamm.

37. "I love watching gymnastics, swimming, and track and field."

-Mia Hamm.

38. "You can't just beat a team, you have to leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you again."

-Mia Hamm.

39. "Golf is social. It brings a lot of people together."

-Mia Hamm.

40. "People ask me, 'Would you ever want to play professional golf?' And I'm like, 'No. No, no, no, no. Just because I can hit a good shot every now and then doesn't make me a pro'."

-Mia Hamm.

These quotes by Mia Hamm show how our everyday lives can be much like sports. These Mia Hamm quotes will inspire you to, in the words of Hamm herself, "Take your victories whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them".

41. "Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed."

-Mia Hamm.

42. "It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there."

-Mia Hamm.

43. "There are always new, grander challenges to confront, and a true winner will embrace each one."

-Mia Hamm.

44. "The person that said winning isn’t everything never won anything."

-Mia Hamm.

45. "Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them."

-Mia Hamm.

46. "Every morning, I wake up trying to be the best mom and the best role model for my kids in a healthy diet and active lifestyle."

-Mia Hamm.

47. "No-one gets an iron-clad guarantee of success. Certainly, factors like opportunity, luck, and timing are important. But the backbone of success is usually found in old-fashioned, basic concepts like hard work, determination, good planning, and perseverance."

-Mia Hamm.

48. "Focus on what you know you can do. Know what you’re capable of on any given day, and what you can count on. Do the simple things well, and then use the confidence to build up the rest of your game."

-Mia Hamm.

49. "If you've got hips, you can't be a gymnast or dancer. That ruled me out"

-Mia Hamm.

50. "Sure, there are games I'm going to dominate and there are going to be games when I struggle. But it doesn't mean I give up"

-Mia Hamm.

A few Mia Hamm quotes to get to know her better.

51. "I could sit there and eat pasta all day long and not worry about it when I was younger, and now I really have to focus on making sure I set a good example for my kids."

-Mia Hamm.

52. "I am happy that young girls have a lot more choices these days and an opportunity to feel better about themselves."

-Mia Hamm.

53. "Chicken, brown rice, and veggies is a great healthy dinner option. It’s full of whole grains and protein and will keep you full for a long time."

-Mia Hamm.

54. "English muffins with avocado is one of my favorite breakfasts."

-Mia Hamm.

55. "I don’t like to stop. I’m a big person who looks at where the hubs are because I hate changing planes."

-Mia Hamm.

56. "I was given a tremendous gift in terms of athleticism. Maybe it was because I wasn’t so confident in other areas."

-Mia Hamm.

57. "Every day I look for ways to be inspired, to learn, and to grow. And trying to be the best for my kids, my husband, and my family."

-Mia Hamm.

58. "One thing I really wanna do is being there for my kids, be part of my siblings and my parents."

-Mia Hamm.

59. "I don’t like to play rough, but I will if I have to."

-Mia Hamm.

60. "I could just have chips and salsa for dinner every day."

-Mia Hamm.

61. "I’m not someone who goes around the locker room before a game trying to motivate my teammates. I don’t say a lot before the game... It takes too much energy to do that."

-Mia Hamm.

62. "I make a lot of mistakes, too, and I’m constantly re-evaluating how I’m doing things and trying to be better every day, whether it’s as a mom or taking care of myself."

-Mia Hamm.

63. "As a mother, I think you often get so caught up in trying to take care of everyone else that you forget to take care of yourself. But I’m a much better wife and mother when I take the time to take care of myself."

-Mia Hamm.

64. "I was this shy, introverted kid and through the game and through athletics I was able to gain a lot more confidence and express myself on the field."

-Mia Hamm.

65.  "To me, one of the reasons we were so successful was that we respected and cared about the game and felt the same way about each other, … [Teammates] always understood there was a greater purpose. That the opportunity to play was extremely special, and let’s try to make sure as many young girls have that opportunity."

-Mia Hamm.

66. "This is emotional, and I’m truly speechless, … I was expecting to be a follower tomorrow night, just to go wherever I was pointed, and now I’m carrying the flag. It’s a tremendous honor and I thank my fellow Olympians for thinking of me."

-Mia Hamm.

67. "I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and to be able to do it as long as I’ve had, I’ve had a lot of support from my family. The game has yet to see so much more growth."

-Mia Hamm.

68.  "Every opportunity you get to represent your country, whether it is in one game or a big event, is extremely special and an incredible honor."

-Mia Hamm.

69. "It is about enjoying themselves and that’s what I could tell about all of these girls. They played hard, respected the game, and just had fun doing it."

-Mia Hamm.

From Mia Hamm soccer quotes to quotes from Mia Hamm about reaching your dreams, there's Mia Hamm quotes here for whenever the need arises.

70. "When players go out and train on their own, they usually do it at half speed. This kind of training is valuable, but it doesn’t prepare you for competition, where you must perform at full throttle."

-Mia Hamm.

71. "I’d never got a pair of running shoes before in my life, so we went out and got those because I needed to be fitter, I needed to be faster. I had to commit every single day to being better."

-Mia Hamm.

72. "The trick is to schedule regular sessions of intense practice, while always leaving time to juggle and generally goof around with the ball."

-Mia Hamm.

73. "I think making the team at such a young age made me realize that I wasn’t a very good soccer player. I was a good athlete, but so was everyone else I played against."

-Mia Hamm.

74. "Follow your heart and make it your decision."

-Mia Hamm.

75. "We all want to see more young girls finding confidence and playing the game, more outreach."

-Mia Hamm.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for the best Mia Hamm quotes then why not take a look at these [Billie Jean King quotes], or Simone Biles quotes?