The world is still reeling from the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others who died in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash in California.
Bryant, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years and won five NBA titles, was a huge presence both on and off the court.
“Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most,” he once told Amazon Book Review.
The following are some of Kobe Bryant's best quotes for CEOs and startups to live by:
Kobe On Work Ethic
“I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.”
“Those times when you get up early and you work hard, those times when you stay up late and you work hard, those times when you don’t feel like working, you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself, but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And if you guys can understand that, then what you’ll see happen is you won’t accomplish your dreams, your dreams won’t come true; something greater will.”
Kobe in his 2017 retirement speech
Kobe On Sacrifice
“There’s a choice that we have to make as people, as individuals. If you want to be great at something, there’s a choice you have to make. We all can be masters at our craft, but you have to make a choice. What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that. Family time, hanging out with friends, being a great friend, being a great son, nephew, whatever the case may be. There are sacrifices that come along with making that decision.”
Kobe in an interview for the documentary "Kobe Bryant's Muse" for Showtime, 2015
Related Story: 9 Ways Kobe Bryant Made A Difference Off The Court
Kobe On Tenacity
“I create my own path. It was straight and narrow. I looked at it this way: you were either in my way, or out of it. If you were standing between me and the game, I was going to knock you on your back and not feel bad about it. I was unapologetically me. That’s all I ever wanted to be. I was never worried about my reputation – that’s how I earned one. That’s how I became the Black Mamba.”
Kobe On Giving Up
“The moment you give up is the moment you let someone else win.”
Kobe On Leadership
"Leadership is lonely ... I'm not going to be afraid of confrontation to get us to where we need to go. There's a big misconception where people thinking winning or success comes from everybody putting their arms around each other and singing kumbaya and patting them on the back when they mess up, and that's just not reality. If you are going to be a leader, you are not going to please everybody. You have to hold people accountable. Even if you have that moment of being uncomfortable."
Kobe On Inspiration
“The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do.”
Photo via Wikimedia.
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