The man needs no introduction, but since we are here to look into who the legend Dan Gable is, through his quotes, a list of his achievements doesn’t seem out of place. Dan Mack Gable, born on 25th October 1948, is an American folkstyle and freestyle wrestling champion and coach. He is regarded as the most outstanding amateur wrestler of all time, beginning his wrestling career with an undefeated streak in high school competitions.
He is a two-time NCAA Division 1 National Champion and won gold in the 1971 World Wrestling Championships and the Olympic Championships of 1972. With this, Gable left behind active wrestling and went into coaching at the University of Iowa in 1972, serving as the head coach from 1972 to 1997.
Here, in Iowa, 2nd October 2013 was recognized as ‘Dan Gable Day’ in his honor. For his lifetime contribution to furthering the scope of professional wrestling in the United States, Gabe was inducted into the US Wrestling Hall of Fame (1980) and the US Olympic Hall of Fame (1985). Recently, US President Donald Trump awarded Gable with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.
Gable has authored a book titled “A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable” (2015), through which we get a glimpse into the highly celebrated career of Dan Gable. Through his wrestling, writing, and life, Gable has shared his thoughts and opinions, which we are collecting here in the form of quotes. This article contains subheadings dealing with Gable’s quotes in a general sense and then concerning wrestling which shows his passion for this game. Read on to get inspired.
1. “The more you can focus on what you have and what you would like to do and where you want to go — a positive point of view — the quicker things turn around, and positive things start to happen.”
Dan Gable faced a tragedy early in life by losing his sister when he was 15. Although he was a teenager, he didn’t let the incident affect his wrestling. Gable regards this incident as one reason to train with more challenging determination. He picks up the positive and makes it a driving force.
2. “Gold medals aren’t made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”
A champion himself, Gable knows the reality behind colossal success. The determination does not let you rest until you achieve something great. This quote does not just talk about a gold medal; it indicates any challenges life offers. He wishes to say that it takes a lot from within you to stand against the face of the world, which is ready to criticize your one wrong step. But taking that step is the biggest thing.
3. “The best defense is a good offense.”
Dan indicates that whether it is a game or a real-life problem, the best way to deal with it is to face it head-on instead of running away from it. To decode this quote, it refers to the principle of being proactive. The best way to defend yourself is to take a dynamic offense against an opponent or a crisis.
4. “If you’re afraid to fail, you’ll never succeed.”
Gable’s quote points toward the fact that many people do not wish to leave their comfort zone due to the fear of failure but aren’t that feeling self-sabotaging? Isn’t it entirely true that if you have never failed, you never really know the taste of success? Hell, with that, if you will never try, you have no meaning of failure or success. To win, it is essential to learn that failure is a part of it.
5. “There’s always ways of motivating yourself to higher levels. Write about it, dream about it. But after that, turn it into action. Don’t just dream.”
Any promising athlete needs to show their talent to shine in the world’s eyes. Just sitting and dreaming will do no good unless there are spectators to witness your work. Dan, too emphasizes that action always speaks louder than words. Putting the plan into action takes effort, but when that happens, there is no turning back.
6. “My mind’s never gone far away from what I wanted to accomplish.”
Through this quote, one can sense the self-confidence of a champion athlete who has achieved greatness in his field. Your goal should be your priority, so you work the hardest for it. As Gales always worked hard for wrestling, he became the best in it. In simpler terms (or complicated maybe), ‘Jaha Chah vaha rah.’
7. “When I’d get tired and want to stop, I’d wonder what my next opponent was doing. I’d wonder if he was still working out. I’d tried to visualize him. When I could see him working, I’d start pushing myself. I’d push myself harder when I could see him in the shower.”
It is not wrong to say that your opponents are your greatest motivators. They influence you to work hard and push you towards the peak of your performance. Through this quote, Gable signifies the importance of competition in life as only then would you be inspired to prove yourself. In sports, the opponent is not the enemy but a personification of your weaknesses that you need to fight against. This quote inspires a layperson to push harder in any problematic situation.
8. “But we’ve got to work. We can’t just live on reputations – by any means.”
This comes about the joining of Gable as a wrestling coach after being a reputed wrestler in the country. Looking closely, we understand that Gable indicates the importance of working even when you inspire the whole world.
9. “If we don’t progress, we backslide into bad habits, laziness, and poor attitude.”
There can be many ways to slide through life, be it drinking, gambling or grumbling all along, but it takes real effort to progress and excel in life. Being proactive in life is the only way to live. Dan saw wrestling as a way to define his life even after a tragedy. Just like that, anybody reading the quote can take inspiration to go on even when problems surround them.
10. “Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit. Give everything you got today, for tomorrow may never come.”
It is not difficult to understand what Gable wishes to say here. We cannot wait for tomorrow to be perfect for doing something as it is only now that we have the time. Better be active today than feel bad for losing all the time.
Dan Gable Quotes to Inspire the Sportsperson within you
Dan Gable is an inspiration for many for his dedication to the sports of wrestling. His hard work will prove that today he stands amongst the World Champions. This is a list, especially for those who see sports as their dream and desire to achieve the same triumph as today’s athletes.
1. “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy. “
Sports come in a wide variety and are played all over the world. There are some who enjoy playing them and those who enjoy watching them, dividing individuals into two groups. Sports are extremely beneficial to your health and can help fend off numerous ailments or illnesses in later life. For instance, wrestling is a sport that can help you stay active and healthy.
2. “More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill – none have wrestled without pride. ”
Wrestling teaches a lot, how to have self control, pride and how to handle everything with patience.
3. “I went to college. I had a double major in biology and physical education, but my major was wrestling. ”
This is focusing on the enthusiasm and liking towards the Wrestling.
4. “Greatness in the mat is achieved through training that makes you push to survive.”
Achieving your ideal existence requires success in life. It refers to completing particular objectives that lead to the future you have imagined for yourself. The person defines success in life. Someone else’s idea of success may not look like yours.
5. “When people ask me how to raise their performance level, I first ask, how important is it to you? “
Life perspective is different for everyone, people see everything from their point of view.
6. “.. what men do during boys’ basketball season. “
Because of differences in their neural wiring, men are more likely than women to feel rewarded by a computer game with a territorial element, which then drives them to play the game more.
7. “A clean, hard-fought wrestling match is the most honest of athletic contests. There are no technological interventions, no teammates to blame, and no panel of judges to bias the score. In wrestling, you compete, or you quit. No alibis. I like that. “
A wrestler’s physical and mental fortitude is put to the test. The audience is frequently entertained by wrestling matches. For advertising, drums are banged and handbills are handed out.
8. “I shoot, I score. He shoots, and I score.”
Since the beginning of time, people have played games. One of the best ways to reduce stress and anxiety and develop a variety of abilities is through games. Some people, however, only like playing when they succeed. Personally, I concur with those that engage in gaming for recreational purposes.
9. “I didn’t lift weights to maintain my muscle tone when I lifted weights. & I lifted to increase what I already had, to push to a new limit. I kept moving that limit back and back. Every time I worked, I was getting a little better. Every time I walked out of the gym, I was a little better than when I walked in.”
Participating in physical activities, such as sports, enhances heart health, lowers diabetes risk, regulates blood sugar, and reduces tension and stress. It also gives you discipline, pleasant energy, and other admirable traits.
10. “Wrestling is the only sport I’ve ever competed in that puts you in a situation of constant motion without breaks. I could play football or baseball, swim — but there’s always some situation that would break my thoughts and concentration.”
The goal of wrestling is to “pin” your opponent’s back flat to the ground in order to win the match. Wrestlers compete against one another by weight class, using a range of takedowns, clinches, holds, and other grappling techniques to decide who is superior.
Did you also get motivated to get up and start working after going through these quotes? (I know I have) Do let us know which one you like the most or which quote will take place on your room’s wall!