Quotes that last

Muhammad Ali left us this thought on success and courage

Throughout history, sports legends have given us more than just great games to watch. These were people at the top of their game who pushed themselves to the limit. And still, along the way, they picked up knowledge that is relevant to all of us. Michael Jordan taught us how to overcome failure, Muhammad Ali showed us how to be brave, and Babe Ruth told us we should keep going when everything in you wants to quit. Here are ten quotes that stand the test of time.

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."

Ali said this in the early 1960s, a period when he was still known as Cassius Clay and was just beginning to make noise both inside the ring and outside of it. For a young Black man in America at that time, simply speaking his mind the way he did was itself an act of courage. The quote struck a chord far beyond sports: civil rights activists, artists, and everyday people saw in it something that went well past boxing. Ali wasn't just talking about throwing punches. He was talking about life, and people understood that immediately. Decades later, it still hits just as hard.

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Jordan said this as part of a Nike commercial in 1997, at the height of his fame: five championships in, considered by most to already be the greatest of all time. The ad showed him missing shots, getting it wrong, falling short. America was a little stunned. This was Michael Jordan admitting failure? The commercial became one of the most celebrated sports ads ever made, precisely because it felt so honest. Coming from the man who seemingly never lost, it gave everyone else permission to fail without shame.

"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up."

Ruth said this sometime in the 1920s, during his legendary run with the New York Yankees, an era when he was rewriting the record books almost every season. The exact moment is fuzzy, but the sentiment fit Ruth perfectly, a man who struck out more than almost anyone of his era and simply didn't care. Fans and journalists embraced it immediately because it came from someone who clearly lived by it. Ruth wasn't just talking about baseball. He was talking about the stubborn, almost unreasonable refusal to fold, and people recognized that as something worth holding onto.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Gretzky said this during a 1983 interview, already well on his way to becoming the NHL's all-time leading scorer. It was a casual remark, almost throwaway, but sports writers immediately latched onto it. Over the following decades, it grew into one of the most quoted lines in motivational history, showing up in business seminars, graduation speeches, and self-help books far beyond the world of hockey. Gretzky himself has expressed mild amusement at how far it traveled.

"Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."

July 4, 1939. Yankee Stadium. Lou Gehrig had just been diagnosed with ALS and stood at home plate in front of 62,000 fans to say goodbye. The stadium went completely silent as he spoke. Grown men wept in the stands. Sportswriters, many of them veterans of covering wars and tragedies, later said it was the most emotional moment they had ever witnessed. What moved people most wasn't just sadness; it was his extraordinary grace. A man facing a death sentence but choosing to count his blessings. It remains one of the most powerful moments in American sports history.

"Champions keep playing until they get it right."

King said this in the early 1970s, during a period when she was not only dominating women's tennis but fighting tooth and nail for equal prize money and respect for female athletes. Her words landed differently in that context: this wasn't just sports talk, it was a battle cry. Female athletes and women in general responded with tremendous enthusiasm because the quote spoke to what so many of them were living every day: having to try twice as hard just to be taken half as seriously.

"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is."

Lombardi said this to his Green Bay Packers in the early 1960s, a period when he was turning a struggling franchise into a dynasty. Players later recalled that his speeches had a way of making them feel like they could run through a wall — and then they'd go out and nearly do it. When the quote reached the general public, it resonated deeply because it reframed what competition actually meant. You can't always control the scoreboard, but you can control your hunger. In a culture that often confused effort with outcome, Lombardi's distinction felt like a revelation.

"Don't give up. Don't ever give up."

March 4, 1993. The inaugural ESPY Awards in New York City. NC State basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, visibly weakened and in tremendous pain from bone cancer, walked to the podium and delivered eight minutes that left virtually no one in the room dry-eyed. He said it twice — "Don't give up. Don't ever give up" — and the repetition made it hit even harder. The crowd gave him a standing ovation that seemed like it would never end. Valvano passed away just eight weeks later. The V Foundation, which he founded that night, has since raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research. Few moments in sports history have ever hit quite that hard.

"It ain't over till it's over."

Berra said this in July 1973, when a reporter asked him about his New York Mets' slim chances of winning the division; they were sitting in last place at the time. Most people laughed at first, because it sounded like classic Yogi nonsense. But then the Mets went on an improbable run and nearly won it all, and suddenly nobody was laughing anymore. The quote took on a sort of magical quality after that. It has since become one of the most universally used phrases in American culture: sports, politics, business, you name it.

"Age is no barrier. It's a limitation you put on your mind."

For anyone who has ever let age talk them out of something, this one lands differently every single time you hear it. Joyner-Kersee said this in the mid-1990s, as she continued competing at the highest level of track and field well into her 30s, an age when most athletes in her sport had long since retired. She had won six Olympic medals, battled severe asthma her entire career, and competed through injuries that would have ended most careers. The response from fans, particularly older ones, was deeply personal. Here was someone telling them, from hard-won experience, that the clock doesn't have to run the show.

10 weird historical events that no one has been able to explain (yet)

Image: Walters Art Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Who doesn't like a good mystery? And if the mystery isn’t a work of fiction but the result of a true story, even better! The great unsolved enigmas of history are absolutely fascinating. Some have been solved over time, but there are still many old secrets for which neither scientists nor historians have found an explanation—yet. Time-travel with us as we uncover 10 of the biggest historical mysteries that will probably never be cracked!

Image: Tanner, Henry S., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Bermeja Island is mentioned in navigation texts written by European travelers and appears in cartography from the 16th to 19th centuries. Old maps place it off the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula; however, multiple searches over the years have yielded no concrete evidence of its existence.

So, what happened to Isla Bermeja? Was it a cartographic error? Did it sink due to a tidal wave? Because of its geopolitical significance, some have even suggested that it was blown up by the CIA! A 2009 study by the Autonomous University of Mexico concluded that Isla Bermeja does not exist today, nor were any traces found at its supposed coordinates. Yet, it will forever remain a mystery that will surely keep many entertained.

Image: Credit: Big Ear Radio Observatory and North American AstroPhysical Observatory (NAAPO)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1977, Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope, used in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, detected a signal now known as the Wow! signal. While reviewing the data, astronomer Jerry R. Ehman noticed a sequence represented as "6EQUJ5." Baffled by the anomaly, he circled it and wrote "Wow!" in the margins.

The signal lasted 72 seconds and, unfortunately, has never been repeated. To this day, no one can fully explain the phenomenon, although some suggest it may have come from a man-made source. Still, the Wow! signal remains one of the strongest candidates for potential extraterrestrial contact ever detected.

Image: Edward S. Curtis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How is it possible for an entire village to vanish without a trace? Believe it or not, this is said to have happened nearly a century ago. According to lore, a small Inuit village in Canada was well known among fur trappers who visited regularly to trade. But in 1930, something very strange supposedly occurred.

A hunter named Joe Labelle claimed he visited the village one day and couldn’t find a single person. Reports said there were guns and food left behind, and even claims that the graves in the cemetery were empty. A thorough investigation, however, found no conclusive evidence of what happened to the villagers. Some witnesses from nearby towns even reported seeing a huge green light. Theories ranged from mass migration to extraterrestrial abductions. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has since dismissed the case as an urban legend. Some still believe the story to be true.

Image: bbb

We know thousands of shipwreck stories, but this one is quite unique. The MV Joyita, designed to be nearly unsinkable, was found adrift in the South Pacific, practically unharmed, but the crew had disappeared completely.

In October 1955, the American merchant vessel left the port of Apia in Samoa with 16 crew members and 9 passengers bound for the Tokelau Islands. After days without news, a rescue mission was launched. Five weeks later, the Joyita was spotted more than 600 miles west of its intended route. The vessel was partially submerged, and there was no sign of the passengers or crew. Four tons of cargo and all three life rafts were missing. They were never seen again.

Image: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Do you know where one of the best-preserved mummies was found? Hint: not in Egypt. Xin Zhui, the Marquise of Dai during the Western Han Dynasty in China, was discovered in her tomb at Mawangdui 2,000 years after her death, along with hundreds of valuable documents and artifacts.

What makes this mummy so extraordinary is how well-preserved her body is. Her organs and veins remain intact, and she still has hair and even eyelashes. Scientists analyzed the fluid present in the coffin and discovered it was acidic and contained salt and magnesium. They believe this mysterious liquid may have been responsible for preserving Xin Zhui so well. What they don’t know is whether it was intentionally poured into the coffin or came from the body itself.

Image: Yoichi Okamoto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The United States has its fair share of presidents who died while in office, but none of our 45 presidents have ever disappeared without a trace. Did you know that this actually happened in The Land Down Under?

Harold Edward Holt was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He loved the ocean and spearfishing. During a weekend trip with friends, Holt visited the remote Cheviot Beach to take a swim. Rough sea conditions that day caused him to be swept away by the waves, and he never reappeared. Despite an intensive search, his body was never found, which has given rise to numerous conspiracy theories. Ironically, Australians built the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre in Melbourne in his honor.

Image: FBI, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Many famous criminals have managed to remain unidentified for decades, but the D.B. Cooper case is something else entirely. In 1971, Cooper boarded a flight from Portland to Seattle. Shortly after takeoff, he showed a flight attendant a device he claimed was a bomb and demanded four parachutes and $200,000 in cash.

The crew landed to meet Cooper’s demands in exchange for the passengers and then took off again. As the plane flew over southwestern Washington, Cooper jumped into the cold, rainy night carrying his haul. His whereabouts and true identity were never discovered, although it is likely he didn’t survive the jump. In 1980, some of the ransom money was found near the Columbia River. Although the FBI officially closed the case in 2016, amateur sleuths continue to try to crack it.

Image: Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Can you imagine an epidemic where the main symptom is uncontrollable dancing? Sounds like science fiction, doesn’t it? Yet this really happened during the Middle Ages. In 1518, a dancing plague struck Strasbourg, Alsace, in what is now France. This strange condition affected up to 400 people, making them dance frantically for weeks. It is said that some even died of heart attacks, exhaustion, or strokes.

Doctors and authorities tried all kinds of measures to stop the spread. They even banned music for a while! To this day, scientists are not certain what caused this bizarre condition: it may have been food poisoning from toxins in the ergot fungus, or perhaps a case of stress-induced mass hysteria.

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Voynich manuscript is a codex written roughly 500 years ago in an unknown language and writing system by an anonymous author. Known as Voynichese, the manuscript was named after Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish bibliophile and antiquarian who purchased it in 1912.

Radiocarbon testing has shown that it dates to the early 15th century. Many cryptographers and codebreakers have attempted to decipher its roughly 240 pages without success. The manuscript contains diagrams and illustrations of unknown plants and astrological symbols. Some believe it may be a made-up language, a secret code, a work of fiction, or even a hoax. If you think you can solve this mystery, the Voynich manuscript is available for viewing at Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Image: Bernhard

Similar to the Voynich manuscript, the Phaistos Disc is a fired clay disc believed to have been created during the Bronze Age. It was discovered by an Italian archaeologist in the basement of a palace in Crete, Greece, in 1908.

What makes this disc fascinating is that it contains a mysterious message. Stamped into the clay is a set of signs, forming a text that many scientists have tried to decipher—without success. It is considered an early attempt at printing, a technological innovation that would not become widespread for several centuries. While enthusiasts still hope the enigma can be solved, this is unlikely unless other documents are discovered to provide context.