“Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It’s okay to lose, to die, but don’t die without trying, without giving it your best.”– Walter Payton

“When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.”– Walter Payton

“If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner… A winner is somebody who gave his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can…who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean that they accomplished it or failed, it means they’ve given it their best. That’s a winner.”– Walter Payton

“Tough times go away, and tough people do not.”– Walter Payton

“Most important thought, if you love someone, tell him or her, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.”– Walter Payton

“I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field.”– Walter Payton

“I am happy to say that everyone that I have met in my life, I have gained something from them; be it negative or positive, it has enforced and reinforced my life in some aspect.”– Walter Payton

“We are stronger together than we are alone.”– Walter Payton

“IF YOU FORGET YOUR ROOTS, YOU’VE LOST SIGHT OF EVERYTHING”– WALTER PAYTON

“If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner.”– Walter Payton

“Children have always brought a tremendous amount of joy to me and I feel that if you can catch them at a young age you can really change a life. There are a lot of studies that show that one act of kindness to these children has a 40% chance of making that child have a completely different outcome in their life. What you hope is that you can get a kid to believe in something and to believe in themselves.”– Walter Payton

“Work hard or don’t work at all.”– Walter Payton

“When you speak of role models, when we talk to our kids, everybody is a role model, everyone, just as you look at a Michael Jordan to be the terrific athlete he is.”– Walter Payton

“If I’m going to get hit, why let the guy who’s going to hit me get the easiest and best shot? I explode into the guy who’s trying to tackle me.”– Walter Payton

“I want to be remembered like Pete Rose. ‘Charlie Hustle.’ I want people to say, ‘Wherever he was, he was always giving it his all.”– Walter Payton

“I wanted to be a professional drummer.”– Walter Payton

“There were high school coaches such as Charles Boston that took me under his wing and taught me the fundamentals of football. And when I went to college there was Robert Hill who took me there, and he showed me what hard work and determination would do if you put forth the effort and you take a little time.”– Walter Payton

“You look at a Pete Rose to be the terrific athlete he is, and then he falls on hard times, but when he played the game, I got something from the way he played the game because he hustled every play, and just because he had one mistake in his life, am I supposed to throw back everything that I gained from him?”– Walter Payton

“GOD’S BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME. I’M TRULY BLESSED.”– WALTER PAYTON

“Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one.”– Walter Payton

“I don’t have to jump up and smile just because TV wants me to.”– Walter Payton

“I try to run on the hottest days, at the hottest time, because that’s the most difficult time. And sometimes I worry about drying out, and dying.”– Walter Payton

“All people, regardless of whether they’re athletes or not, should treat people the way they want to be treated.”– Walter Payton

“If you could go back and change things, you might not be the person you are right now.”– Walter Payton

“Running alone is the toughest. You get to the point where you have to keep pushing yourself.”– Walter Payton