Misty Copeland Quotes

A lot of times when people become successful, people don't really understand what they had to do or the sacrifices they made to do that, or they assume that they had money. This is coming from, like, a kid who was broke and lived with roaches and a single mom in Dorchester.

My dad died when I was three so my mom had to raise four kids on her own, and I think there's a part of me that pulls upon having watched my mom do that our whole lives. She had to make it work.

If there's no fire, there's no scream. If there's no scream, then no one hears you and no one comes to help you in the first place. The depth of my struggle has definitely determined the height of my success. To be able to teach my kids not just about success but about the struggle that comes with it.

Everybody in life has something that they get knocked down on. The object lesson here is not that you get knocked down - it is that you get up.

My mom was essentially a single mother raising three boys. If anyone could have had any reason to give up, it was her. But she didn't, and neither did we.

It's true - ever since I was born, I've been through some tough situations. But that's what has given me the strength and the drive to succeed.

Hard days are the best because that's when champions are made.

The challenges I have faced - among them material poverty, chronic illness, and being raised by a single mother - are not uncommon, but neither have they kept me from uncommon achievements.

Do you think a champion is made out of thin air? It’s through the hardships you endure that you’ll gain real strength.

If I fall, pick up the flag, kiss it, and keep on going.

My advice: Don't quit. When I got to New York City, I lived so far below the poverty line, because I didn't give in and get a job at 7-Eleven. I think you can thrive in misery.

I worked hard to get where I am. And I started with nothing.

Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.

The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that must precede the victory.

When I started out, I struggled, and I was broke a lot. But I'm glad I struggled, and I'm glad I was broke a lot.

Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers.

Hard times always lead to something great.

I feel like I'm a fighter. I've fought my whole life to get to where I'm at. I like fight movies. When someone gets knocked down, I like to root for him to succeed.

No matter how bad something gets, no matter where you come from, you can achieve anything. I really do believe that.

Don't give up because of the dark days. Succeed in spite of them. The dark days make the bright days seem even brighter. So bright you can hardly stand it.

Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.

When life knocks you down, keep getting up.

Man is not made for defeat.

But at the end of the day, every star, every person that been iconic, has gone through a time in their lives where it was just bad. Everybody. It just made them better.

The greatest glory never comes from falling, but from rising each time you fall.