This is a big week in figure skating … the week of both the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and the European Figure Skating Championships. A time like this reminds me of the importance of self-confidence. Not only does competition help individuals gain confidence, but the athletes with the most confidence typically perform best.

And it isn’t true just for sports. A job interview or almost any type of performance under pressure will be much more successful with self-confidence.

Here are some of my favorite confidence quotes:

“Under pressure you can perform fifteen percent better or worse.” Scott Hamilton

“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.” Theodore Roosevelt

“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.” Zig Ziglar

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” Marie Curie

“Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself.” Robert Collier

“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.” Sven Goran Eriksson

“With confidence, you can reach truly amazing heights; without confidence, even the simplest accomplishments are beyond your grasp.” Marianne Williamson

“Have confidence that if you have done a little thing well, you can do a bigger thing well too.” David Storey

“Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do. Because then they will act.” Jack Welch

“Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.” Wendy Wasserstein

“If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” Mark Victor Hansen

“Self-confidence is the memory of success.” David Storey

“Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: work.” Jack Nicklaus

“Confidence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a result of something… hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.” Roger Staubach

“Skill and confidence are an unconquered army.” George Herbert

“You’ve got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.” Chris Evert

“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.” Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.” Samuel Johnson

“Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy.” Lao Tzu

“Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” Vince Lombardi

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Helen Keller

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Dale Carnegie

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” Norman Vincent Peale

“Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.” Brian Tracy

“Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory.” Diane Arbus

“At a young age winning is not the most important thing… the important thing is to develop creative and skilled players with good confidence.” Arsene Wenger

“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.” Joe Namath

“Confidence is everything in this business.” Reese Witherspoon

“My theory is that if you look confident you can pull off anything – even if you have no clue what you’re doing.” Jessica Alba

“The big gap between the ability of actors is confidence.” Kathleen Turner

“Everybody wants to be somebody. The thing you have to do is give them confidence they can. You have to give a kid a dream.” George Foreman

“You weren’t an accident, You weren’t mass produced. You aren’t an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the Earth by the Master Craftsman.” Max Lucado

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” Henry David Thoreau

What is your favorite confidence quote?

Photo Credit: Photo by Delphine Devos at Flickr Creative Commons (License).

Linked with Thought-Provoking Thursday.