Dean Karnazes Quotes

I can just put my head down and train hard.

I've always relied on discipline to achieve goals great and small. At a young age, my father instilled a real work ethic in me - and a fear of men. I always felt like if I didn't have a natural knack for something, I could kind of out-discipline the competition as it were. So I would always work as hard as I possibly could, sometimes to my own detriment and my personal life. For me, I think will power and discipline are very synonymous.

To be a champion, I think you have to see the big picture. It's not about winning and losing; it's about every day hard work and about thriving on a challenge. It's about embracing the pain that you'll experience at the end of a race and not being afraid. I think people think too hard and get afraid of a certain challenge.

As an athlete, you sort of just win every day. Because you're going to sometimes lose every day. And so you just keep picking yourself up and going forward.

I want to wake up every day and feel that I'm training harder than my competitors, that I'm dieting harder, that I'm recovering better. That's what gives me confidence when I'm lining up on the blocks. I've never gone out to prove people wrong. I just want to be the best that I can possibly be.

I give 110% while I am working. I know I do, because I have been doing this since I was nine. This is a way of life for me. So whether it be successful or not is not in my hands. I still do my job, the best I can.

When I got to match point in the final I was afraid I'd be a little nervous, but I just said, You have to stay focused, just think about what you have to do.

Before the decathlon I'm constantly trying to convince myself that I want to do this, that I want to take myself to that place where it's going to hurt and things are going to be tough. But that's like anything - you want to give your best.

I was filled with angst all the time, but when it came down to it, I dove into what was in front of me, and I always did my best. I invested 100 percent. And that's what saved me.

I always tell myself to bat the full day, and if there is a ball to be hit, just hit it.

I train hard every day, I don't know what the word 'impossible' means.

I know how good I am, and I know where I can go if I'm in the right mindset and respecting my opponent.

If you really want something, you just have to promise yourself that you won't stop until it happens.

It's just determination, working hard, and keeping my feet on the ground in training and keep on proving people wrong.

There are some key words that I have learned: the first ones are humility and determination; they are fundamental to reach certain levels. I want to continue like this, working hard without ever feeling satisfied.

I'll focus on my training, no matter who I fight.

People can say what they want, but at the end of the day, I'm going to keep working on my game. I always know I have things to work on.

I know if I train hard, focus, I can beat anyone out there.

As for myself, in sport you have to question yourself every week and be ready in your head, and you have to be at 100% of determination if you want to keep going and win games; you cannot afford to be at 80% or 90%.

If you want to be the best, you can't take the path of least resistance. Every morning, you wake up, and your mind tells you it's too early, and your body tells you you're a little too sore, but you've got to look deep within yourself and know what you want and what you're striving for.

I just put all my energy into me and focusing on what I'm going to do, and I'll go in there and do that right through the end of the fight until I get the job done.

Throughout COVID, I just consistently grinded at my craft. I didn't let COVID get in the way of my goal and the goal is to be the best me that I can be for the team.

One-on-one, you have to be able to put your head down and get stuck in.

I clear my mind; I don't think about the pressure before a fight. I focus on going in the cage and being successful while doing my job.

Win or lose you will never regret working hard, making sacrifices, being disciplined or focusing too much. Success is measured by what we have done to prepare for competition.