Tony Dungy > Quotes

“Things will go wrong at times. You can't always control your attitude, approach, and response. You options are to complain or to look ahead and figure out how to make the situation better”
― Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life

“It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better.”
― Tony Dungy

“The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. VISION will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve excellence. Only VISION allows us to transform dreams of greatness into the reality of achievement through human action. VISION has no boundaries and knows no limits. Our VISION is what we become in life. ”
― Tony Dungy

“Remember that mentor leadership is all about serving. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).”
― Tony Dungy, The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently

“You can't always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach, and response. Your options are to complain or to look ahead and figure out how to make the situation better.”
― Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life

“No excuses. No explanations.”
― Tony Dungy

“I need to treat everybody fairly, but fair doesn't always mean equal.”
― Tony Dungy

“We often can't see what God is doing in our lives, but God sees the whole picture and His plan for us clearly.”
― Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life

“Be a pro. • Act like a champion. • Respond to adversity; don’t react. • Be on time. Being late means either it’s not important to you or you can’t be relied upon. • Execute. Do what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it. Not almost. All the way. Not most of the time. All of the time. • Take ownership. Whatever it takes. No excuses, no explanations.”
― Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life

“I am a firm believer that the Lord sometimes has to short-circuit even our best plans for our benefit.”
― Tony Dungy

“Engage, educate, equip, encourage, empower, energize, and elevate. Those are the methods for maximizing the potential of any individual, team, organization, or institution for ultimate success and significance. Those are the methods of a mentor leader.”
― Tony Dungy, The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently

“I have yet to hear God's audible voice, although I have often felt led by God in more subtle ways.”
― Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life

“It's okay to wander.”
― Tony Dungy, Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance

“Life is challenging. I wish I could tell you that you’ll always be on top of the mountain, but the reality is that there are days when nothing will go right, when not only will you not be on top, you may not even be able to figure out which way is up. Do yourself a favor, and don’t make it any harder than it has to be. In those moments,      be careful how you speak to yourself;      be careful how you think of yourself;      be careful how you conduct yourself;      be careful how you develop yourself.”
― Tony Dungy, Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance

“even though we can’t always choose our circumstances, we can always choose our attitude in the circumstances.”
― Tony Dungy, Achieving Your Potential

“You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was. Old Irish proverb”
― Tony Dungy, The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently

“I love coaching football, and winning a Super Bowl was a goal I’ve had for a long time. But it has never been my purpose in life. My purpose in life is simply to glorify God. We have to be careful that we don’t let the pursuit of our life’s goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our purpose. I coach football. But the good I can do to glorify God along the way is my real purpose.”
― Tony Dungy

“When things happen to us that aren’t exactly what we had hoped for, there are a number of ways we can respond. But there’s only one response that will help us to move on toward the promise of a new day full of opportunities. Get over it, get up, and try it again. Olympian Eric Liddell once said, “In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best.” Get over it, get up, and try it again.”
― Tony Dungy, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge

“Speaking to five thousand people is no more important than quietly teaching one.”
― Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life

“Coach Noll had always told me, “Being stubborn is a virtue when you’re right; it’s only a character flaw when you’re wrong.”
― Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life

“Champions don't do extraordinary things, They do ordinary things, but they do them without thinking, too fast for the other team to react. They follow the habits they've learned.”
― Tony Dungy

“Talent is God-given; be thankful. Praise is man-given; be humble. Conceit is self-given; be careful. Dave Driscoll”
― Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life

“Avoidance doesn’t solve anything; it merely serves as a temporary salve.”
― Tony Dungy, Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance

“Everyone, everywhere, needs encouragement on a regular basis. Start with people you know and add to your list.”
― Tony Dungy, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge

“Look for opportunities to share a word of comfort and grace with someone today—perhaps through a story of what God has done in your life.”
― Tony Dungy, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge

“Moving from desire to actually doing better is only achieved with self-discipline, and self-discipline only works effectively when you trust in Him to help. Amp up your self-discipline in the areas you need it most.”
― Tony Dungy, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge

“So, when it comes to effective leadership, it’s not about you and what makes you comfortable or helps you get ahead. It’s about other people. It’s about serving God by serving others. That’s the mind-set of the mentor leader.”
― Tony Dungy, The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently

“Respect isn’t a right. We aren’t entitled to it, and we can never earn it by demanding it. It’s something we earn because of our character—and by giving it to others. If we want to be respected, we have to show ourselves to be worthy of it, not by our status, possessions, or accomplishments, but by honesty, integrity, and responsibility.”
― Tony Dungy, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge

“Our parents encouraged us to follow our dreams and told us that if we wanted to do something, we could do it. And, they said, if we did it the Lord's way, for the right reasons, we would be successful. Not that we would win every game or be wealthy, but that we would be successful in God's eyes if we did the things that glorify Him.”
― Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life

“If you start making excuses to cut out the things that are important because of urgent circumstances, it will become a habit, and you’ll start cutting them out regularly.”
― Tony Dungy, The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently