Jim Valvano, lovingly nicknamed Jimmy V, was a basketball coach who has become an inspiration too many. He bounced around several universities before eventually coaching the NC State Wolfpack in the 80’s. In 1983, Valvano’s team won the NCAA Championship, a victory that probably is the greatest Cinderella story in college basketball history. In 1992, Valvano was diagnosed with cancer and in March of 1993, nine weeks before his death, Valvano spoke at the ESPY Awards and delivered one of the most inspirational speeches you will ever hear. Here are just a few of Jimmy V quotes. I hope they inspire you to live with tenacity.
- “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”
- “Be a dreamer. If you don’t know how to dream, you’re dead.”
- “The greatest gift you can give your children is to believe in them.”
- “Life changes when you least expect it to. The future is uncertain. So, seize this day, seize this moment, and make the most of it.”
- “Nothing has ever been accomplished in any walk of life without enthusiasm, without motivation, and without perseverance.”
- “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.”
- “In every single day, in every walk of life, ordinary people do extraordinary things. Ordinary People accomplish extraordinary things.”
- “Know where you have been, where you are now and where you want to be.”
- “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”
You can read more quotes from Jimmy V at everydaypower.com/jimmy-v-quotes/
Live tenaciously!
