50 Mia Hamm Quotes from the Soccer Legend

By Stephanie Kirby

Writer, Entrepreneur and Inspirational quote curator

Published May 12, 2021

These Mia Hamm quotes are inspiring, motivating, and empowering.

Her words not only resonate with soccer fans but also with women and the youth.

Mia Hamm is known in the world of professional soccer.

Now a retired athlete, Hamm reached popularity for gaining Olympic gold medals twice.

She also clinched a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup championship during the course of her playing career.

Considered as a soccer icon, Hamm played for the United States women’s national soccer team as a forward for more than a decade, from 1987 to 2004.

During the span of her career, Hamm played 42 matches and scored 14 goals during seven tournaments.

Hamm also held the record as the player who has Most International Goals Scored until 2013.

Aside from being a soccer player, Hamm also ventured into the world of entertainment and has been a part of various TV shows and films, proving that she not only has great playing skills but charisma on the big screen as well.

Here are some of the best Mia Hamm quotes we can all learn a thing or two from.

Don’t forget to also check out these soccer quotes from the greatest players in the world.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Our inspirational quotes category page has all of our motivational quotes for all the different areas of life.

Mia Hamm quotes about sports

1. “If a team intimidates you physically and you let them, they’ve won.” ― Mia Hamm

2. “The most important attribute a player must have is mental toughness.” ― Mia Hamm

3. “Sport taught me how to goal set, it really gave me a voice and identity.” ― Mia Hamm

4. “If you’ve got hips, you can’t be a gymnast or dancer. That ruled me out.” ― Mia Hamm

5. “I played soccer because my friends did. Besides we got sodas afterwards.” ― Mia Hamm

6. “We play because we love the game, we love each other, and we love to win.” ― Mia Hamm

7. “Sports can do so much. It’s given me confidence, self-esteem, discipline, and motivation.” ― Mia Hamm

8. “I was given a tremendous gift in terms of athleticism. Maybe it was because I wasn’t so confident in other areas.” ― Mia Hamm

9. “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

10. “Sports are not about awards or world championships, though those are great. They’re about the relationships we have with each other.” ― Mia Hamm

11. “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

12. “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. I don’t say a lot in general. It takes too much energy to do that.” ― Mia Hamm

13. “Sports can do so much. They’ve given me a framework: meeting new people, confidence, self-esteem, discipline, motivation. All these things I learned, whether I knew I was learning them or not, through sports.” ― Mia Hamm

Inspirational Mia Hamm quotes

14. “It isn’t sacrifice if you love what you’re doing.” ― Mia Hamm

15. “Experience means you did a lot of things wrong.” ― Mia Hamm

16. “It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there.” ― Mia Hamm

17. “I played basketball and soccer my freshman year in high school.” ― Mia Hamm

18. “I hope all you young girls see yourself up there… we were just like you.” ― Mia Hamm

19. “My coach said I ran like a girl, I said if he could run a little faster he could too.” ― Mia Hamm

20. “A winner is that person who gets up one more time than she is knocked down.” ― Mia Hamm

21. “After each game, I want to be able to say: I gave it all I could, I gave it my best.” ― Mia Hamm

22. “Every single day I wake up and commit to myself to becoming a better player.” ― Mia Hamm

23. “You’re worth the investment in yourself and what you feel, you can and want to be.” ― Mia Hamm

24. “Good players create opportunities. The great players and the great people seize them.” ― Mia Hamm

25. “I don’t want to sit and look at all the trophies. I don’t want to live in the past — I want to live now!” ― Mia Hamm

26. “Sports have become increasingly more specialized, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be fun.” ― Mia Hamm

27. “The backbone of success is…hard work, determination, good planning, and perseverance.” ― Mia Hamm

28. “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

29. “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

30. “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

Famous Mia Hamm quotes and sayings

31. “It is not sacrifice if you love what you’re doing.” ― Mia Hamm

32. “I could just have chips and salsa for dinner every day.” ― Mia Hamm

33. “There are always new, grander challenges to confront, and a true winner will embrace each one.” ― Mia Hamm

34. “Soccer isn’t very social. Plus, if you don’t like someone on the other team, you can do something about it.” ― Mia Hamm

35. “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

36. “I am happy that the young girls have a lot more choices these days and an opportunity to feel better about themselves.” ― Mia Hamm

37. “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

38. “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

Other famous quotes by Mia Hamm

39. “I don’t like to play rough, but I will if I have to.” ― Mia Hamm

40. “I love watching gymnastics, swimming, and track and field.” ― Mia Hamm

41. “English muffins with avocado is one of my favorite breakfasts.” ― Mia Hamm

42. “You may get skinned knees and elbows, but it’s worth it if you score a spectacular goal.” ― Mia Hamm

43. “Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” ― Mia Hamm

44. “Learn to differentiate between what is truly important and what can be dealt with at another time.” ― Mia Hamm

45. “I learned a long time ago that there is something worse than missing the goal, and that’s not pulling the trigger.” ― Mia Hamm

46. “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

47. “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

48. “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

49. “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

50. “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

What did you learn from these Mia Hamm quotes?

These Mia Hamm quotes are truly motivational, especially for young dreamers.

Her words inspire people to reach their goals in life even when challenges come their way.

Her experience in the playing field and in life taught her to be strong, tough, and resilient, which resulted in her international fame.

Hamm would not get to where she is right now if not for her hard work, faith, and determination to win every fight and to learn and stand up again after each loss.

Many people look up to her as an empowered woman, and these quotes prove that she is truly a role model to emulate by the young generation.