You should never get nervous about anything. What today seems important tomorrow isn’t so any more.

~ Tito Vilanova

To play well you must feel tranquil and at peace. I have never been troubled by nerves in golf because I felt I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

~ Harry Vardon

Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.

~ Glenn Turner

I like to smile. I smile even when I’m nervous since it calms me down and shows my friendliness.

~ Yani Tseng

I know when things are going to get me a little nervous, because nervous to me feels good.

~ Misty May-Treanor

Why Even Olympians Choke

By Olga Khazan, The Atlantic
Originally Published: 13 February 2014

Russia is nine hours ahead, so we all knew what would happen, and somehow that made it even worse. At first Shaun White—flying tomato, snowboarding legend, two-time Olympic gold medalist—sailed through the halfpipe with characteristic aplomb. Then, there was trouble on one of his first tricks, and he slid down part of the ramp on his rear.

“That’s okay!” we thought (or would have thought, had we not already seen the result on Twitter.) There was still time for White to recover the run… Click here to read on

There were butterflies, otherwise, you’re not really ready to play. The locker room, I remember, was quiet and we were very focused on playing that game.

~ John Starks

Every athlete acquires routines as a way to help control nerves.

~ Hope Solo

If I’m nervous, it means I had to work hard to get there, whether it’s playing in a tournament or speaking at an event. So I try to stop and be proud of getting to live in that moment.

~ Maria Sharapova

When I got to match point in the final I was afraid I’d be a little nervous, but I just said, You have to stay focused, just think about what you have to do.

~ Gabriela Sabatini