50 Underdog Quotes About Never Giving Up

We have all been an underdog in some situations in life, so use these underdog quotes as inspiration to overcome your doubters.

The definition of an underdog is someone who is thought to have little chance of success in sports, competition, or any activity in life.

The term can be placed on individuals, but many people place it on themselves, either to motivate themselves or because they don’t believe in themselves.

We all love many great underdog stories, and some are listed below.

David vs. Goliath in the Bible when the smaller David, armed with his slingshot, took on the formidable giant warrior named Goliath, and David won.

Tom Brady not being picked until the 199th pick of his draft and then becoming the greatest quarterback of all time.

Rosa Parks stood up for herself and her race when she refused to give in to “how it is done” and helped change the future.

Take a look at these underdog quotes to learn more about overcoming the odds.

Underdog Quotes From the Biggest Underdogs

Whether it is your favorite sports team or your favorite artist, everyone has been an underdog at one point!

1. “My audience is God.” — Jeremy Lin

2. “If you don’t believe in yourself, why is anyone else going to believe in you?” — Tom Brady

3. “We have to humble ourselves, and the way you do that is by serving other people.” — Tim Tebow

4. “It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you down. It’s the pebble in your shoe.” — Muhammad Ali

5. “I never want to be anything more than I am; what I don’t have, I don’t need.” — Louis Armstrong

6. “One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better.” — Colonel Sanders

7. “I was an underdog my whole career, but I knew I had the ability to compete with those guys.” — Buster Douglas

8. “There are enough people in the world who are going to write you off. You don’t need to do that to yourself.” — Susan Boyle

9. “Right now, we’re focused on one day at a time, one game at a time. It’s really the best way to handle this whole situation.” — Josh Hamilton

10. “My background is a bad background, but a lot of people said I couldn’t do it. You can do anything if you put your mind to it.” — Michael Oher

Inspirational Underdog Quotes

Enjoy these inspirational underdog quotes!

11. “I’d rather be the underdog than anything.” — Kemba Walker

12. “I realized that my strength was being different.” — Betsey Johnson

13. “You can be an underdog, but you can beat the champion.” — Joanna Jedrzejczyk

14. “I love the underdog stories. I love people who refuse to give up.” — Phil Keoghan

15. “America is full of success stories featuring victories by the underdog.” — Mike Gallagher

16. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” — Mark Twain

17. “Life is never more fun than when you’re the underdog competing against the giants.” — Ross Perot

18. “With but few exceptions, it is always the underdog who wins through sheer willpower.” — Johnny Weissmuller

19. “I feel like, in some level, in our biggest moments of success, we were always the underdog.” — Issac Hanson

20. “It’s always fun to be the underdog and surprise people. It certainly puts less pressure on you.” — Derek Drouin

Motivational Underdog Quotes

Use these motivational quotes to help push you through the obstacles in your life.

21. “Topcats often begin as underdogs.” — Bernard Meltzer

22. “Everybody wants to watch the underdog win.” — Misha Green

23. “I love stories about misfits and underdogs.” — Elizabeth Banks

24. “To be honest, it’s more fun being the underdog.” — Stephen Karam

25. “I’m always the underdog, and I always win the fight.” — Jan Blachowicz

26. “Victory is a thousand times sweeter when you’re the underdog.” — Jenny Han

27. “I think that everything I do tends to root for the underdog.” — Judd Apatow

28. “I’ll never lose the sense of being an underdog. I’m capable of a lot more.” — Esai Morales

29. “I like being the underdog, so they don’t expect what’s going to happen. It pushes me to work harder and do the things I’m not doing better.” — Kawhi Leonard

30. “If you’re an underdog, mentally disabled, physically disabled, if you don’t fit in, if you’re not as pretty as the others, you can still be a hero.” — Steven Guttenberg

Underdog Quotes to Help You Overcome Your Lack of Confidence

These quotes will help you stay confident even when the odds are against you!

31. “I’m a big fan of the underdogs.” — Bryan Cogman

32. “It’s wonderful being the underdog.” — Diane Lane

33. “In sport, the underdog does come out on top quite a bit.” — Moeen Ali

34. “I’ve always enjoyed being… I guess you would call it the underdog.” — Patrick Reed

35. “It’s better to be the underdog than have all the pressure, for sure.” — Nick Kyrgios

36. “I’m always drawn to the underdogs, to the people whose stories don’t get told.” — Lauren Myracle

37. “I love stories of the underdog coming out on top and stories of survival.” — Wendy Raquel Robinson

38. “I never expect to lose. Even when I’m the underdog, I still prepare a victory speech.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

39. “I think I have a gene in me to always fight for the underdog, which I’ve done since I was a kid.” — Lois Frankel

40. “I tend to not discriminate when it comes to people I can learn from. Basically, if someone has built a meaningful business in software, technology or media, faced disruption and adversity and overcame underdog status, I want to know how they did it.” — Aaron Levie

Encouraging Underdog Quotes from Movies

Check out these encouraging quotes from underdogs in movies.

41. “A real warrior never quits.” — Po, Kung Fu Panda

42. “I’ve been ready for this my whole life.” — Rudy, Rudy (Movie)

43. “Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.” — Rocky Balboa

44. “It’s OK to lose to opponent! Must not lose to fear!” — Miyagi, The Karate Kid

45. “Remember, Red: Hope is a good thing.” — Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

46. “We aren’t like everyone else. People are scared of what they don’t know.” — Yul, Cool Runnings

47. “Sometimes you got to do what you got to do, until you can do what you want to do.” — Kurt Warner, American Underdog

48. “I know it isn’t easy, but at least we should try to get along together. And that includes you, your majesty.” — Cinderella

49. “You cannot be afraid to lose. That’s how you gain the confidence to attack the puck when the game isn’t yours.” — Coach Orion, Mighty Ducks 3

50. “When one guy would move away, we never replaced him on the team with anyone else. We just kept the game going like he was still there.” — Scotty Smalls, The Sandlot

How You Can Overcome Being an Underdog

If you are considered an underdog, don’t worry; it will just make your victory more impressive.

However, here are some things to do to keep from being an underdog in the future: develop strong self-worth, always be learning, surround yourself with other people with similar values, and never give up!

Please share these underdog quotes with your family and friends and post any comments about underdogs in the comment section below.