Georges St-Pierre Quotations

I'm a martial artist, and I don't train because I have a fight; I train because it's my lifestyle, and I'll train every day if I'm not hurt.

The more knowledge you get, the more questions you ask. The smarter you get, the more you realize that everything can be possible.

There is a difference between a fighter and a martial artist. A fighter is training for a purpose: He has a fight. I’m a martial artist. I don’t train for a fight. I train for myself. I’m training all the time. My goal is perfection. But I will never reach perfection.

I am a public person and I have my private life. It's important for me that my private life stay private, that what I share with the people is my public personality.

For me, personally, when I'm afraid of something - when you're afraid of something, normally you try to go away, you try to avoid it. Instead of avoiding it, to overcome your fear, I believe you need to embrace it.

I was a big fan of Jean-Claude Van-Damme growing up, and I always wanted to be a martial artist 'cause of him.

I try to protect my loved ones, the people I share my life with, because they don't have a public life like me. I want to keep their lives private out of respect for them.

I am very honored and excited to be part of UFC 100; it's going to be the hardest challenge of my career so far and it's going to be pretty tough - I can't wait.

If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you do good.

One of the keys to learning for me has been to not get so hung up on the past. It's important to remember the past, but that doesn't mean you have to torture yourself with it by reliving it every single day.

A guy that has more knowledge has the advantage.

It's not about how you are when things go well, what defines you is how you are when you fail from an obstacle.

A fight is 10% physical and 90% mental.

Fear can be a natural ally, a homemade power source... Staying in the present, fear can only help you.

I'm the kind of guy who only makes a mistake once, never twice.

Only way to eliminate the element of surprise is to know yourself and now your adversary.

As Aristotle wrote a long, long time ago, and I'm paraphrasing here, the goal is to avoid mediocrity by being prepared to try something and either failing miserably or triumphing grandly. Mediocrity is not about failing, and it's the opposite of doing. Mediocrity, in other words, is about not trying. The reason is achingly simple, and I know you've heard it a thousand times before: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Once I got over my anger and rage from childhood, once I stopped feeling like a victim, I was able to open myself to great sources of learning.

Power is different when you combined it with wisdom. Wisdom allows you to use less power to accomplish more tasks.

My goal is to share all my learning, all of my knowledge, so that other generations of martial arts will benefit.

Some people learn to lose. Others lose and learn.

There is no luck in life, everything happens for a reason. Every little thing that you do... leads up to a bigger thing. And that's the story of my life.

I want to use every second of my life, every time that I have in my life, to make me a better fighter. That's why I'm a martial artist. For me, it's more than a job - it's a way of living

Every little thing you do leads up to a bigger thing.

I'm not impressed by your performance.

It’s like life. The more knowledge you get, the more questions you ask. The smarter you get, the more you realize that everything can be possible.

My mentality is like a samurai they used to train every day, work on their technique to make themselves better, almost perfect, perfection is impossible but every day you get closer and that's what I want . Every day I want to get better than I was the day before. I want to use every second of my life, every time I have in my life to make me a better fighter. It's more than a job it's a way of living.

A true master gives all his knowledge. But only when the student is ready.

One of the lessons I learned in all those years practicing karate is that progress only comes in small incremental portions.

The only way to ever truly get your confidence and swagger back, I've learned, is to fight for them.

It’s OK to get butterfly in your stomach; the key is to learn how to make them fly in formation.

Humanity's true purpose is not to become stronger physically, it's to become more intelligent-from armies, who increasingly fight with specialized units rather than regiments and tanks, to garage owners, who use a lot more than jacks to fix your engine. As intelligence prevails throughout humanity, maybe there'll be fewer wars and better cars.

Humility is the first rule of martial arts. Either you learn humility quickly, or you leave because your ego can't handle losing repeatedly.

Thanks to his willingness to face me, my life takes shape, my path evolves.

When you prepare a list of improvements and you make them small and achievable, you won't just stick to then, you'll increase the chances that you'll keep moving forward.

You always recognize great champions... how they come back from a loss.

Don't be afraid to spend money to make money. That's one thing I've never been afraid of... to invest in myself.

Growth is a long term game, and the crappy days are more important.

Always pursue your dreams and work hard at it.

It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient.

Innovation is a discipline not a lottery... It comes from the combination of two elements within my control: hard work and openmindedness.

I'm a shy guy... I don't enjoy being bothered but I never say no to a fan. I say yes to everybody... even though sometimes you have some days where you don't feel like it, but it's your duty as athlete to do it. Because the fans that pay it's going to make you live, so you have to do it. So I force myself to do it all the time.

Think about climbing a mountain. If you decide you're going up Everest, you don't start with a sprint. You'll never make it out of base camp if you do that. The secret is two fold: make sure your approach is consistent and steady so that you can maintain the progress you're making as your journey continues.

People who believe in themselves can accomplish almost anything... all begins with attitude.

Nick Diaz is a champion so he's got the spirit that comes with it. So he's not going to give up mentally. You see a lot of guys give up mentally and that's why they get knocked out or submitted. They give up mentally before they lose.

I see the world as a knowledge hardware story, and every day I'm just walking through the aisles.

I will repeat a technique until it is mastered, no matter when that will be. One certainty though: it will be.

Nothing really frustrates me to the point of hatred. It's not the worth the energy.

Fear is the genesis of most of the good things that have occurred in my life. Fear is the beginning of every success I've lived.

Seeking knowledge is like opening doors. And I know the doors are everywhere.

I've come up with my own cure for a closed mind: try it once, and see.

There are two kinds of people who do martial arts: those who practice a thousand different kicks one time each, and those who practice one kick a thousand times minimum. You can guess which group I belong to.

Respect your opponent, just make them respect you more.

When great depths of unrelenting sorrow are punctuated by great peaks of joy and liberation, the result is delicious.

Watching myself fight, I realize the line between success and failure is so narrow, it's scary.

Set your goal and keep moving forward.

There's no honour fighting in the street, there is nothing to gain.

I think it makes your stronger to admit that you're scared, because you're not scared to say that you're scared.

People often say, 'Ah, ultimate fighting is so violent,' but it's rooted in martial arts. Martial arts incarnate respect. You can't walk into a dojo and say to your sensei, 'Hey, salut tabarnac!' After every one of my fights I go and shake the hand of my opponent. I don't need to hate the other fighter to fight him well. It's a sport.

Once fear enters your life - it will take you in one of two directions: empowerment or panic.

It's not always the best team that wins the game it's the team that plays better.

Using your imagination to create mental images stimulates your mind, helps organize your life and keeps your focus in a particular direction. It allows your unconscious mind to work toward the image you have created, the goal. It's about understand the life you want to live, and seeing it unfold before you.

Innovation is very important to me, especially professionally. The alternative, standing pat, leads to complacency, rigidity and eventually failure.

Innovation, born from true creativity, depends on movement.

Everyone in life faces obstacles. That's what made me who I am. I don't regret to have been bullied because probably if I would not have faced those obstacles I would not have been the man that I am. It make my stronger in a way and it helped me to forge the person that I am right now.

I bow to my opponent in praise and thanks. After the fight is a time for humility, acceptance and analysis, no matter the result.

Dinosaurs were huge and powerful; they could not adapt and they died out. And so the big difference between dinosaurs and cockroaches is adaptability: one is able to adjust, while the other, apparently, couldn't... The same analogy applies to fighting, and probably any other sport. It's not always the strong that survive. It takes brains, guts, tolerance and forward thinking. We've seen this since the beginning of mixed martial arts.

I will never take the fact that I am Welterweight Champion for granted. I learnt my mistake in the past. No matter how great, no matter how people tell me how great I am, I'm always one mistake away from losing everything.

With discipline, belief, and the right knowledge, we become the best we can be.

When you pay attention to detail, the big picture will take care of itself.

Innovation keeps me ahead of my competition. It means that my foes must adapt to me, not the other way around.

A system that works for one person won't be perfect for another... Individuality is a major part of expanding knowledge.

Your body can dictate your mind... As I'm walking to the Octagon and I act with confidence, my body take over my mind, and I become confident for real.

The goal is to avoid mediocrity by being prepared to try something and either failing miserably or triumphing grandly.

This extends to all things, but you only learn it by losing a few times.

Efficiency for me is an obsession..It not only helps me get stronger but makes things simpler.

I'm always scared when I fight. But that fear is what keeps me more alert and more focused. It's good to have fear.

My mentality is that when I go to sleep at night, I'm a better martial artist than when I woke up in the morning.

I'm always at my best when I'm fighting a guy who insults me..questions my integrity; it lights more fire in me.

I'm training all the time. My goal is perfection. But I will never reach perfection.

The only way forward in life is innovation.

If I'm disrespectful to my opponent, how can I respect myself?

No two journeys are alike. Nobody can pretend to know the journey another person takes to achieve his dreams.

You can spend your life watching other people win or beat your name into history.

I like to think I'm like water that adapts to its surroundings and eventually finds a way in.

Before each one of my fights, I make a point of saluting my opponent. I salute the other fighter out of respect, even though he is trying to take something from me.

I fight with emotion, but I don't fight with anger. I could be angry, but I'm not going to fight with anger because when you fight with anger you can make mistakes.

Make sure your approach is consistent and steady so that you can maintain the progress you're making as your journey continues.

It's bizarre, a punch in the face hurts less when you win than when you lose.

Nervous and scared is a good thing, it's your friend. You feel more on the edge, you feel like you're about to fall down the river, it's a good thing for me. I like that feeling.

One of the important lessons I learned from my parents is always to respect authority figures like teachers.

It's not always the strong that survive. It takes brains, guts, tolerance and forward thinking.

You think I was born rich? I've worked really hard. You have no idea.

People think athleticism is just physical, but it's not. It's connected to the brain and how the brain can learn to execute and see a movement or not. Especially at high speed. Being athletic is not just jumping and running and being powerful. It's the nervous system that guides the body. The muscles don't decide anything. The brain decides and makes things happen.

In fighting, in evolution, in life, efficiency is the key,

Respect is the most important thing. Be respectful toward others and have respect for yourself.

Train smart at all times and do your best to avoid injury. Training smart is more important than training hard.

Everyone is a threat, and anyone can be beat at any given moment. No one is invincible.

The real test is this one: When you're alone in a room, when you're in a private place and nobody else can see you, what do you choose to do? Eat well, or eat poorly? Exercise, or watch television? Practice something, or do nothing? The best version of the truth appears to you and you alone, when nobody else can see. This is the test of discipline, and it's what makes the difference in your life. It's what regulates your own system and guides it. The individual alone comprehends it.

You don’t get better on the days when you feel like going. You get better on the days when you don’t want to go, but you go anyway. If you can overcome the negative energy coming from your tired body or unmotivated mind, you will grow and become better. It won’t be the best workout you have, you won’t accomplish as much as what you usually do when you actually feel good, but that doesn’t matter. Growth is a long term game, and the crappy days are more important.