Every athlete has faced a tough moment in their journey, but few sting like getting cut from the team. It’s more than a lost opportunity—it’s a hit to your identity, confidence, and belief in what’s possible. But the cut isn’t the end. It’s a redirection. And sometimes, it’s the very spark you need to rise higher than you imagined.
These quotes for getting cut from the team are for the overlooked, the passed over, the ones told “not this time.” They’re here to help you rise stronger.
- “When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened.” – Alexander Graham Bell
Rejection hurts, but growth often waits on the other side. - “Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration. Sometimes it’s built on catastrophe.” – Sumner Redstone
- “Sometimes a step back opens the path to your greatest leap forward.” – Unknown
🔥 Reflection: Being cut doesn’t mean you’re not good enough. It means your story has a different route to greatness.
- “A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success.” – Bo Bennett
- “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” – Babe Ruth
- “I never lost a game. I just ran out of time.” – Michael Jordan
Even MJ was cut from his high school varsity team. Let that sink in. - “Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.” – Unknown
- “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
- “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi
💡 Comeback in Action: Michael Jordan
Before becoming a six-time NBA champion, Michael Jordan was famously cut from his high school varsity basketball team as a sophomore. The coach didn’t believe he was tall or strong enough.
Instead of quitting, Jordan turned the pain into fuel. He trained relentlessly, used the cut as a personal fire, and by the next year, he made the team. That rejection? It became the beginning of the legend.
“Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it.” – Michael Jordan
His story reminds us: The setback isn’t your story—it’s your motivation.
- “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
- “The pain you feel today is the strength you’ll feel tomorrow.” – Unknown
- “Failure is delay, not defeat.” – Denis Waitley
- “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
🔥 Reflection: No one can measure your heart. Not a coach. Not a list. Only you.
- “You were never in competition with them. You were always in competition with your potential.” – Unknown
- “A champion is defined not by their wins but by how they recover when they fall.” – Serena Williams
- “Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” – Dalai Lama
- “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan
- “The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison
- “You can’t measure heart.” – Kevin Garnett
- “It’s not who you are that holds you back. It’s who you think you’re not.” – Denis Waitley
🔥 Comeback Fuel: The best players aren’t always chosen first. But the ones who keep showing up eventually become undeniable.
Final Thoughts
Getting cut isn’t a full stop. It’s a comma. A new paragraph. A new beginning. These quotes for getting cut from the team are meant to remind you that rejection isn’t your identity—resilience is.
Let the pain push you. Let the disappointment shape your work ethic. Then write your own story—one rep, one day, one comeback at a time.
Your name might not be on that roster yet. But your journey is far from over.
📖 Keep going: Read Never Out Quotes in Sports
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