Many Olympic movies have been made, trying to capture those universal themes of excellence, commitment, and personal sacrifice. The best of the bunch is Chariots of Fire, a fascinating tale of two completely different British runners who compete for gold at the 1924 Olympics. Here are the 11 best movie quotes about the essence of Olympian ideals.
"It doesn't matter tomorrow if they come in first or fiftieth. Those guys have earned the right to walk into that stadium and wave their nation's flag. That's the single greatest honor an athlete can ever have. That's what the Olympics are all about."
Cool Runnings (1993) – Irwin Blitzer (John Candy)
"Well, as they say in the Olympics, it's not the winning, it's the taking part that counts."
Sleuth (1972) – Milo Tindle (Michael Caine)
"Where does the power come from to see the race to its end? From within."
Chariots of Fire (1981) – Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson)
"Once in a generation an athlete pits himself against such overwhelming odds that even the most jaded spectator finds himself cheering breathlessly."
Iron Will (1994) – Harry Kingsley (Kevin Spacey)
"If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter."
Grease (1978) – Principal McGee (Eve Arden)
"The high jump is a masochist's event - it always ends in failure."
Personal Best (1982) – Terry Tingloff (Scott Glenn)
"Fear is not what's important, it's how you deal with it. It would be like asking a marathon runner if they feel pain. It's not a matter of whether you feel it, it's how you manage it."
War Photographer (2001) – James Nachtwey (himself)
"The Olympics, the NBA, the NFL, all filled up with children who didn't have fathers. You may be a flawed character, but you're building hers."
Jackpot (2001) – Lester (Garrett Morris)
"I don't want to win unless I know I've done my best."
Without Limits (1998) – Steve Prefontaine (Billy Crudup)
“A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you're not enough without one, you'll never be enough with one.”
Cool Runnings (1993) - Irwin Blitzer (John Candy)
十句奧運電影經典台詞
許多奧運題材電影都力求捕捉諸如卓越表現、奉獻以及個人犧牲等共同的主題。最精彩的一部是《火的戰車》，它生動地講述了兩位風格迥異的英國短跑運動員在1924年的奧運會上爭奪金牌的故事。下面是10句能夠最好地闡釋奧運精神的電影對白。
“他們明天得第一名還是第五十名都不重要。那些小伙子已經贏得了走進體育場並揮舞自己國家國旗的權利。那才是一名運動員能得到的唯一的最高榮耀。那就是奧運會的全部意義。”
《涼快的跑道》（1993）——艾爾文•布利澤（約翰•凱蒂）
“就像他們說的，奧運會重在參與，而不在於輸贏。”
《偵察》（1972）—— 米洛•坦德爾（邁克爾•凱恩）
“將比賽看完的力量來自哪裡？來自內心。”
《火的戰車》（1981）——埃裡克•裡黛爾（伊恩•查爾森）
“每個年代都會有這麼一次，某位運動員如此奮力地與強敵競爭以至於連最疲憊的觀眾都在為他喝彩助威。” 《決戰冰河》(1994)——哈里•金斯利 (凱文•斯派西)
“如果你做不了運動員，就做一個體育運動的支持者。”
《火爆浪子》（1978）——魔力神童（伊芙•阿登）
“跳高運動是受虐者的項目——它總是以失敗告終。”
《私人最佳》（1982）——特裡•廷洛夫.（斯科特•格倫）
“最重要的不是恐懼，而是你怎樣面對恐懼。就像你去問一個馬拉松運動員他們是否覺得痛苦。這不是你是否感覺到的問題，而是你要如何對付它的問題。”
《戰地攝影師》（2001）——詹姆斯•納希微
“奧運會，NBA，橄欖球職業聯賽，充滿了那些沒有父親的孩子們的世界。或許你的個性有些不足之處，但是你正在培養她們的個性。”
《背心而馳》（2001）——萊斯特（加勒特•莫裡斯）
“除非我知道我已經做到最好了，否則我是不會想著贏的。”
《永無止境》（1998）——史蒂夫•普雷方丹（比利•克魯德普）
“金牌是一個好東西。但是如果你在沒得金牌時就很不滿足，那麼就算你得了塊金牌，你也永遠不會滿足的。” 《涼快的跑道》（1993）——艾爾文•布利澤（約翰•凱蒂）