70 Inspirational Steve Young Quotes (FOOTBALL)

Top 10 Most Famous Steve Young Quotes (BEST)

“Everything you do in life is up to you. Part of life is realizing you have much more potential and ability than you’d ever know, but it’s up to you to face the fears and unleash that which really drives you.”
Steve Young

The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before. — The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about **self-improvement**, about being better than you were the day before.

No one can keep their word. Everyone's in hurry and jumping to the next opportunity. There's something missing. — No one can keep their word. Everyone’s in hurry and jumping to the next **opportunity**. There’s something missing.

“Fundamentally, if the league is going to have a no-tolerance policy for domestic abuse, if we’re going to be a global organization that’s going to have this as a perspective, we’ve got to back it up. We can’t be backed into it with a video with more coming out. We have to make an affirmative stand on it.”
Steve Young

My dad, like any coach, has always stressed the fundamentals. He taught me responsibility, accountability, and the importance of hard work. — My dad, like any coach, has always stressed the fundamentals. He taught me **responsibility**, accountability, and the importance of **hard work**.

Perception is reality. If you are perceived to be something, you might as well be it because that's the truth in people's minds. — Perception is reality. If you are perceived to be something, you might as well be it because that’s the **truth** in people’s minds.

“There are a lot of guys kind of on the bubble that can either be that sort who turn into journeyman kind of guys that will find a new spot or guys that can make a claim to be in one place for a long time. You can name a lot of names this year, an unusual number. And I think that most of them will be OK.”
Steve Young

I always felt like hanging around the pocket was trouble, but the truth is, the great players take the beatings in the pocket and expose themselves -- and that is the real risk. — I always felt like hanging around the pocket was trouble, but the truth is, the great players take the beatings in the pocket and expose themselves — and that is the real **risk**.

When you're an elite athlete, it's a very special moment in time and you don't want it to end. — When you’re an elite athlete, it’s a very special moment in time and you don’t want it to end.

7 Wise Steve Young Quotes to Live by (WISDOM)

“There’s a difference between a dream and a plan. There’s nothing wrong with having a dream, but the danger is attaching your happiness to it, because life doesn’t always go according to plan.”
Steve Young

Success is really about expertise. — **Success** is really about expertise.

“About 5 percent of love is romantic. The other 95 percent is something else. It’s caring for another more than yourself. It’s empathy and compassion and sacrifice. It’s setting aside your own concerns to lift someone else.”
Steve Young

You don't know the demons people deal with, and you just have no idea. — You don’t know the demons people deal with, and you just have no idea.

Private equity is a science project for many, many years, and when you have a science project, it leaves the human beings as a secondary fact.

The secret to teamwork is an outward mindset. — The secret to **teamwork** is an outward mindset.

The theme—the power of every human being to reconcile with his past—was one that resonated with me in a big way.

2 Steve Young Quotes on Leadership

You become a leader in times of trouble. Leaders emerge when things don't go well. When everyone else starts pointing fingers, a leader takes responsibility. — You become a **leader** in times of trouble. Leaders emerge when things don’t go well. When everyone else starts pointing fingers, a leader takes responsibility.

I had worked hard my entire career to establish myself as a leader. But I wasn't a leader until I was perceived as one. — I had worked hard my entire **career** to establish myself as a leader. But I wasn’t a leader until I was perceived as one.

7 Steve Young Quotes that Will Make You Think

“I always had a hard time with Nashville. I reluctantly live there. I’ve mellowed, and it’s improved some, in the fact it has more immigrants. There’s some real Mexicans there, some folks from India, some of this and that. I’m not satisfied at all with living there. It’s a dilemma for me.”
Steve Young

I may yet move [from Nashville], and where would I move if not Texas or New Mexico I couldn't afford a home in California. I need to travel out of there occasionally. — I may yet move [from Nashville], and where would I move if not Texas or New Mexico? I couldn’t afford a home in California. I need to **travel** out of there occasionally.

“I’ve played more golf with Joe Montana and Steve Bono than I’ve played with anyone else. We’ve played a ton of golf. I always tell people; my relationship with Joe was as good as it could be.”
Steve Young

I'd rather work with guys that have time to live with you, and let it gel. — I’d rather work with guys that have time to live with you, and let it gel.

I was known to spout off about [politics and religion] sometimes, especially in my drinkin' days! It was pretty dangerous actually. — I was known to spout off about [politics and religion] sometimes, especially in my drinkin’ days! It was pretty dangerous actually.

Most people have an off switch and they choose when to go all out.

The best West Coast coaching job I've seen was when Mike Shanahan left the 49ers, became the head coach in Denver and made it available to John Elway. — The best West Coast coaching job I’ve seen was when Mike Shanahan left the 49ers, became the head coach in Denver and made it available to John Elway.

4 Steve Young Quotes on His Wife and Kids

“In 2010, my kids came home telling these ridiculous stories about me they heard from school. I realized my kids didn’t know my story, and they were hearing it from the goofballs at school.”
Steve Young

I wish I could've met my wife earlier. I do the math and I want 30 more years. I wish I'd started having kids earlier. — I wish I could’ve met my wife earlier. I do the math and I want 30 more years. I wish I’d started having kids earlier.

If I could have my kids be great when the lights are on, whatever the moment is, to be accountable and then fix it, they're going to be fine. — If I could have my kids be great when the lights are on, whatever the moment is, to be accountable and then fix it, they’re going to be fine.

My wife hates football, and my kids don't really care. — My wife hates football, and my kids don’t really care.

2 Steve Young Quotes on Teams He Likes To Play

5 Steve Young Quotes on People He Admires

“I think Tom Coughlin is an amazing motivator. When you look at his personality, you say, ‘Oh, I don’t know about that.’ But there’s some ability he has to laser-focus a football team when it’s most important. He seems to be a real valuable asset, kind of Knute Rocke almost.”
Steve Young

I did admire the comments and the music of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. And that didn't fly too well in the Deep South. It was not quite redneck enough. — I did admire the comments and the **music** of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. And that didn’t fly too well in the Deep South. It was not quite redneck enough.

Donovan McNabb has great, fast feet and has learned to lock them in to run the Eagles' offense effectively. — Donovan McNabb has great, fast feet and has **learned** to lock them in to run the Eagles’ offense effectively.

“My favorite player I ever played was Reggie White. He played so ferociously. What I loved about playing against him was the millisecond you went down, he became your friend and would ask, ‘How’s your family?’ In a way that could feel weird and awkward.”
Steve Young

“I had admired Waylon [ Jennings], but I never expected to meet him and get to know him. When I finally moved to Nashville years later, one night I went to a Harlan Howard Guitar Pull thing, and there was Waylon. He started talking about how much he loved my work and how great I was, and I couldn’t even get a word in.”
Steve Young

3 Steve Young Quotes on Being A Missionary

“My goal–and this is kind of my own little secret–but when I get married, just to head out and finish football and, and, and be a missionary around the world. Places where Steve Young–not that it’s big really that many places–but places where they have no idea about football.”
Steve Young

I will be a missionary in a remote village at some point.

The scary thing is I took 12 years of French, and I can barely say, 'My name is… ' And that's not because of the concussions. — The scary thing is I took 12 years of French, and I can barely say, ‘My name is… ‘ And that’s not because of the concussions.

13 Steve Young Quotes on Playing Football

“It’s so exhausting in the pocket taking shots when you know I can go. I don’t want to take that shot and maybe make a bigger play. To dedicate and discipline your mind that ‘I have to find a way, that’s the only way I can learn… ‘ That’s the challenge.”
Steve Young

If you exhaust every play out of the pocket, what happens is you find more opportunities.

“The wins and losses are over for Rice, the football player, who leaves with 38 NFL records. He was the easiest guy in the world to throw the football to. You always knew where he was headed.”
Steve Young

When I played for the 49ers, we loved to see man-to-man defense. I could get the ball quickly to the receivers.

“If you’re playing for 10 or 15 years, you can’t every week run six option plays. It can be around. It can be a part of the game, but sooner or later you’ve got to deliver the ball from the pocket. That’s the game. Now, if the game changes, and it’s proven a championship can be won from the pistol spread, then I’m wrong.”
Steve Young

Scrambling, when no one's around, getting down, getting out of bounds, taking a glancing blow, those are all fine. You can do that all day long. — Scrambling, when no one’s around, getting down, getting out of bounds, taking a glancing blow, those are all fine. You can do that all day long.

“I don’t regret any of the places I went in football. Everything gave me an experience or memories that I’ll have forever. We had more success in San Francisco, but it was a great time everywhere. I always had fun.”
Steve Young

To play 18 years as a pro and have a great college career, it's awesome. — To play 18 years as a pro and have a great college career, it’s awesome.

“There’s some glory years, where if you play long enough and you’ve figured the game out, and physically you’re still healthy enough, there are some years in there where you can really be productive. And those are fun years.”
Steve Young

There's a negative effect when you run around without exhausting everything that happens with the play call. — There’s a negative effect when you run around without exhausting everything that happens with the play call.

I can't imagine as a rookie actually playing good football. I went through it. — I can’t imagine as a rookie actually playing good football. I went through it.

My biggest problem when I was younger was trying to balance my ability with what the team needed me to do to officially run the offense.

Football, no one wants to ram into people. It's not human nature. You have to have a lot of incentive to ram into somebody to benefit others. — Football, no one wants to ram into people. It’s not human **nature**. You have to have a lot of incentive to ram into somebody to benefit others.

3 Steve Young Quotes on NFL

I'm telling you, studying for week to week in the NFL, and memorization, and reflexive recall, you have to drive it into your brain so far. — I’m telling you, **studying** for week to week in the NFL, and memorization, and reflexive recall, you have to drive it into your brain so far.

The truth is that in the NFL, the job is to deliver the ball from the pocket. That's the job. — The truth is that in the NFL, the job is to deliver the ball from the pocket. That’s the job.

In the NFL, you're always facing an obstacle. — In the NFL, you’re always facing an obstacle.

9 Steve Young Quotes on Quarterbacks

“So the truth is, if there’s a lesson to be learned from mobile quarterbacks, it is deliver the ball from the pocket, which demands mastery of the data that is involved working in the pocket, which is, ‘I know everything about everything.'”
Steve Young

Most young quarterbacks are on the field because their team stinks.

“While it’s great for a quarterback to have athletic ability, his goal is to get the ball out of his hand, orchestrate the offense and not allow his ability to stand in the way of the offense running efficiently.”
Steve Young

A running quarterback, to me, is safer. Because, once I got out [of the pocket], I didn't run where there were a lot of people. I ran where there was nobody. — A running quarterback, to me, is safer. Because, once I got out [of the pocket], I didn’t run where there were a lot of people. I ran where there was nobody.

“The demands of excellent NFL quarterbacking I always said took every piece of me, emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually. It was like it just took it all, and I think that was what was so energizing about it and unreplicable.”
Steve Young

I'm willing to share my experiences with any young quarterback. — I’m willing to share my experiences with any young quarterback.

When you play quarterback in San Francisco, not much goes under the radar.

Over time, I learned that how a quarterback moves the chains and leads his team to touchdowns is about as important as whether he actually does it or not.

If quarterbacks learned the West Coast offense in college, oh man - it would make a huge difference. — If quarterbacks learned the West Coast offense in college, oh man – it would make a huge difference.

5 Steve Young Quotes on Music

“I saw all that [white trash] growing up in Alabama and Georgia. I had a group of country cousins and we’d go visit them when I was a kid. They lived on a red dirt Georgia back road, in a shack, with twelve kids. Farmers. No electricity, they had a well on their back porch, but they had nothing, yet they were the happiest, freest people I’d ever met. I loved to visit them. Great sense of humor, and they kept up with all the latest music, country, rockabilly, that stuff. Great food they grew in the fields and canned. Happy people.”
Steve Young

I was made to go to church and I heard the gospel songs, and every now then somebody would come through with a guitar and that was a thrill!

“I was a young folk singer, or wanted to be. I really wanted to be a New England folk singer, but they never would accept me. I was always hard to categorize, and people wouldn’t know what to make of it.”
Steve Young