Famous quotes and how they apply to mountain biking....

Just been thinking about this lately, and I'd like to hear quotes that others have taken to heart within the sport and their lives in general.

One of mine is my sig, which was a realization that came to me years ago:

"To expand your comfort zone, you have to leave it."
​

I find myself leaving my comfort zone often, and have become a better rider for it. Go ride something big and humbling, then come back to that troublesome spot on your local trail and it's a piece of cake.

The other is:

"It's easier to live with failure than regret" (paraphrased, and I can't remember the author)
​

My take on that one is, "I gave it my best shot and have a cast on my arm (and a great story to tell for years to come) which is much better than thinking for the rest of your life, "I wish I just went for it on that day #-o

"It never stops hurting, you just go faster/further for a given amount of hurt"
​

A few of mine, what are yours?

 

"To exist is to change,
to change is to mature,
and to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly."
-- Henri Bergson


Every day that we live, every person we meet, every turn on the trail is another opportunity. Simple as that.

 

How about "Give me your tired, your poor..." (on the Statue of Liberty) Tired from riding, poor from buying bikes and parts

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge..." (Martin Luther King)

"I can't say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days." (Daniel Boone) -Yup the end is right over this hill. Or was it that hill...

"I love it when a plan comes together" (George Peppard) -Ever had a ride where everything went right? Me neither

"I like this place, everybody treats me nice, some of them are a little crazy though." (Ed Gein) -Pretty much defines STR

"Carpe Diem" (Horace) 'nuff said

 

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. -H.G. Wells

 

"When you come to a fork in the road (trail), take it" -Yogi Berra

 

How about this one:

"People do not lack strength; they lack will" (Victor Hugo)

When I hop off my bike to walk part of a tough climb, it isn't because I lack the strength to keep riding. It's because I don't have the willpower to overcome the pain.

 

I always liked the Greg Lemond one: "It doesn't get easier, you just go faster."

I think that's correct. Please correct me if not.

~R

 

Definitely! I always tell that to others, but didn't know it was a Lemond quote as well. My personal version is

"It never stops hurting, you just go faster/further for a given amount of hurt"

Yes, I hurt too!

 

I believe that is correct, and one of my faves, too.

 

Pain is just weakness leaving the body Tom Sobal

 

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us"

One of my personal favs.

 

"You only go around once in this life.... so go for the gusto"... written by some ad hack for a beer commercial...

.... which lead to that famous phrase: "Watch this..."

 

A favorite of mine:

“Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character” ~ Lance Armstrong

I really dig this one:

"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." African proverb

And because this one makes me giggle a lil' bit:

"That's a deep kiss too, like the Europeans. You know, the French, they have to unhinge their jaw to show love."
Master Shake

 

some of my favorite but tons more...
1.Down hill mountain biking, more addictive than crack cocaine, and twice as expensive
2.downhill, because golf and football only require one ball
3.if your not crashing your not going fast enough
4."What makes a grown man look at a 25-foot cliff drop and say "That's totally do-able!" and then pull out the cojones to stomp the landing after four disastrous attempts? The very same spirit that drives a company to produce the bike that survives those and countless other adventures. Some call it passion.

and for dino "hold it wide and let it slide." sam hill

 

"Going the the mountains is like going home."
-John Muir

 

I toatally forgot "Strong, Light, Cheap. Pick Two" _Keith Bontranger