Dan Gable Quotations

When my wrestlers got their hands raised, I jumped for joy.

My mind's never gone very far away from what I wanted to accomplish.

A lot of my intensity in wrestling was due to my mental preparation before the matches. I got myself into a different world.

I shoot, I score. He shoots, I score.

I've been a fanatic about working out all my life.

I went to college. I had a double major in biology and physical education, but my major was wrestling.

I've never changed my life since I was 4 and went to the YMCA with a gym bag. I still have that philosophy. In fact, I still have that gym bag.

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.

Many of those who have paid the ultimate price for freedom have come through the wrestling ranks. We need to honor them and win this decision to have wrestling - the world's oldest sport - remain a part of the most prestigious athletic competition in the world, the Olympics.

My wrestling and family go together. It's always been that way, from day one with my mom and dad, my sister, my wife, four daughters, grandsons, son-in-laws.

The 1st period is won by the best technician. The 2nd period is won by the kid in the best shape. The 3rd period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.

I never won anything by myself. I was always strong because of help that gave me extra strength to win.

Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy.

More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill - none have wrestled without pride.

Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.

The easiest thing to do in the world is pull the covers up over your head and go back to sleep.

My valleys are higher than most people's peaks. I stay at that level.

We, as a wrestling community, better remember it is more than one individual that makes a winner.

My coaches were great. My mom and dad. My dad never missed a wrestling meet.

My advice to young wrestlers is that your surroundings really make a difference. You want to put yourself in good, positive surroundings.

Wrestlers are a little more dedicated than, and are different from, the other people, which may be strange.

Freedom across the world is a result of many individuals working together.

Right out of high school I never had the fear of getting beat, which is how most people lose.

If you're going to stay in the Olympics, you've got to be entertaining and get sponsorship.

I don't think college wrestling is in danger of extinction by any means. But I am concerned if one program drops.

We definitely thought so at the beginning, and he's done some good things. It's just a matter of continuing to be able to show that he is able to do the best job that is needed there.

There is no mat space for malcontents or dissenters.

But after that, turn it into action. Don't just dream.

The bells are a very good investment. They never break if they are maintained. I can teach the kids the basics. They may play bells for only one year, but many of them go on to play at local churches.

More endearingly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self control and pride.

You don't really measure the year until the whole year is done. I'm sure there are some concerned people, including the coaches right now.

There's nothing like success.

If you are afraid to fail, you will never succeed.

Wrestling has been a way of life with me day in and day out. I won't get too far away from it. I might walk through the wrestling room once a week. I could go every day if I wanted. But just walk through, make sure it's still there.

Greatness in the mat is achieved through training that make you push to survive.

There is no mat space for malcontents or dissenters. One must neither celebrate insanely when he wins, nor sulk when he loses. He accepts victory professionally, humbly; he hates defeat, but makes no poor display of it.

I'm delighted to be back in coaching. Our goal is to put Iowa wrestling back on top, and I want to do everything I can to make it happen.

All I worried about was what Owings was doing to me, instead of what I was doing to him. When you start worrying about that stuff, you're going down the wrong path.

Wrestling is the only sport I've ever competed in that puts you totally in a situation of constant motion without breaks. I could play football or baseball, swim -- but there's always some kind of situation that would break my thoughts, break my concentration.

But we've got to work. We can't just live on reputations at all - by any means.

Great wrestlers make other wrestlers great

If we don't progress, we backslide into bad habits, laziness and poor attitude.

I can take anyone down at anytime; they can't take me down; no one can ride or turn me; I can control anyone.

The obvious goals were there- State Champion, NCAA Champion, Olympic Champion. To get there I had to set an everyday goal which was to push myself to exhaustion or, in other words, to work so hard in practice that someone would have to carry me off the mat.

You can't ever work too much because there's no such thing as being in too good condition. You can't ever lift too many weights because you can't ever get too strong. You can't ever wrestle too much because you can always do better.

Always remember the pain of defeat, and never let it happen again.

Talent is everywhere, winning attitude is not.

When I lifted weights, I didn't lift just to maintain my muscle tone. I lifted to increase what I already had, to push to a new limit. Every time I worked, I was getting a little better. I kept moving that limit back and back. Every time I walked out of the gym, I was a little better than when I walked in.

Determination is the strength needed to succeed.

If you want to train and work hard 3 months out of the year, well, then, UNI is a great place to go. If you want to bust your tail 6 months out of the year, you should be very happy at ISU. But if you want to train and develop into a champion 12 months out of the year, then Iowa is the place for you.

I vowed I wouldn't ever let anyone destroy me again. I was going to work at it every day, so hard that I would be the toughest guy in the world. By the end of practice, I wanted to be physically tired, to know that I'd been through a workout. If I wasn't tired, I must have cheated somehow, so I stayed a little longer.

A clean, hard-fought wrestling match is the most honest of athletic contests. There is no technological interventions, no teammates to blame, no panel of judges to bias the score. In wrestling, you compete or you quit. No alibis. I like that

Wrestling... what men do during boys basketball season.

If you're afraid to fail, you'll never succeed.

Raising your level of performance requires a proper mentality and meaning from within. This gives you the ability and drive to work on the things necessary to go to a higher level. When people ask me how to raise their level of performance, the first thing I ask is, How important is it to you?

Once you've wrestled, everything in life is easy.

I’m a big believer in starting with high standards and raising them. We make progress only when we push ourselves to the highest level. If we don’t progress, we backslide into bad habits, laziness and poor attitude.

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. When I could see him in the shower, I'd push myself harder.

Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit. Give everything you got today for tomorrow may never come.

It would be difficult for me to make the move to come back. With my family expanding, I want to make sure that I stay healthy.

Coach Gable is the spokesman for wrestling in the United States and there?s no bigger name in the sport than his, ... It was significant for our program to get the kind of exposure we need to present to the wrestling community not only on the local level but all over the country.

All I worried about was what (Owings) was doing to me, instead of what I was doing to him. When you start worrying about that stuff, you're going down the wrong path.