---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm proof that great things can happen to…"
description: "\"I'm proof that great things can happen to ordinary people if they work hard and never give up.\" — Orel Hershiser"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/orel-hershiser-46857_athlete_i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-t_272553.png"
---

#  I'm proof that great things can happen to ordinary people…

![“I'm proof that great things can happen to ordinary people if they work hard and never give up.” quote by Orel Hershiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/orel-hershiser-46857_athlete_i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-t_272553.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/orel-hershiser-46857_athlete_i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-t_272553.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/orel-hershiser-46857_athlete_i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-t_272553.png)

> “I'm proof that great things can happen to ordinary people if they work hard and never give up.”

[Orel Hershiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Ordinary people can achieve greatness through hard work and perseverance.

**In simple terms:** Hard work leads to great achievements.

Key Takeaway

Persist and work diligently toward goals.

Themes

hard work perseverance achievement ordinary

Mood

inspiring encouraging

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- career growth
- athletic training
- personal development

Key Concepts

self‑efficacy motivation success stories

Questions to Reflect On

- What habits foster perseverance?
- How do you handle setbacks?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone has equal resources to succeed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Great things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-things/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Motivational sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational-sports/) [Never giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-giving-up/) [Ordinary people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perseverance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perseverance/) [Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Work hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-hard/)

## Related quotes

> [Expectations are usually predicated on the idea that the everyday things that happen to ordinary people shouldn't happen to you. People hold the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/expectations-are-usually-predicated-on-the-idea-that-the-everyday-2/)

[Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/)

> [Expectations are usually predicated on the idea that the everyday things that happen to ordinary people shouldn't happen to you. People hold the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/expectations-are-usually-predicated-on-the-idea-that-the-everyday/)

[Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/)

> [I hold it to be a proof of great prudence for men to abstain from threats and insulting words toward anyone, for neither diminishes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/i-hold-it-to-be-a-proof-of-great-prudence-for-men-to-abstain-from/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Even at my age, I'm trying to improve. Never give up, no matter what. Even if you get last place - finish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-zamperini/even-at-my-age-i-m-trying-to-improve-never-give-up-no-matter-what/)

[Louis Zamperini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-zamperini/)

> [Persistence is the quality of winners. Successful people never, never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-field/persistence-is-the-quality-of-winners-successful-people-never-never/)

[Lynda Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-field/)

> [If your plan isn't working, adjust your plan. Never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-martin/if-your-plan-isn-t-working-adjust-your-plan-never-give-up/)

Matt Martin

> [Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can't handle!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-richards-ross/failure-i-can-live-with-not-trying-is-what-i-can-t-handle/)

[Sanya Richards-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-richards-ross/)

> [When life beats you down, NEVER give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-padalecki/when-life-beats-you-down-never-give-up/)

[Jared Padalecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-padalecki/)

> [On one hand, we know that everything happens for a reason, and there are no mistakes or coincidences. On the other hand, we learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehuda-berg/on-one-hand-we-know-that-everything-happens-for-a-reason-and-there/)

[Yehuda Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehuda-berg/)

> [One thing you can say about nuclear power: the people who believe it is the silver bullet for America's energy problems never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/one-thing-you-can-say-about-nuclear-power-the-people-who-believe-it/)

[Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/)

> [Paper or razor blade, never give up And just remember just to hold out more A couple years ago I couldn't just control that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/paper-or-razor-blade-never-give-up-and-just-remember-just-to-hold-out/)

[Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/)

> [I promise I shall never give up, and that I'll die yelling &amp; laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-promise-i-shall-never-give-up-and-that-i-ll-die-yelling-laughing/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“There are five important things for living a successful and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/there-are-five-important-things-for-living-a-successful-and/)

[Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/)

> [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/)

[Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/)

> [Find out whats possible, If you never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-mahone/find-out-whats-possible-if-you-never-give-up/)

[Austin Mahone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-mahone/)

## More by Orel Hershiser

> [No matter how noble and special people want to make the playoffs out to be... it's a crapshoot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/no-matter-how-noble-and-special-people-want-to-make-the-playoffs-out/)

[Orel Hershiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/)

> [My main philosophy is that money is a loan from God. I'm in charge of it. I'm responsible for investin it, giving some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/my-main-philosophy-is-that-money-is-a-loan-from-god-i-m-in-charge-of/)

[Orel Hershiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/)

> [The game shouldn't be called baseball. It should be called adjustments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/the-game-shouldn-t-be-called-baseball-it-should-be-called-adjustments/)

[Orel Hershiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/)

> [Christianity is called a spiritual walk. It's not a run and it's not a jog. It's a walk you do from day to day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/christianity-is-called-a-spiritual-walk-it-s-not-a-run-and-it-s-not-a/)

[Orel Hershiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/)

> [Stadiums fill up with people to see what's going to happen between the lines. But life isn't only about visible realities. There are invisible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/stadiums-fill-up-with-people-to-see-what-s-going-to-happen-between/)

[Orel Hershiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/)

> [Being on the ballot is a lot different than getting in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/being-on-the-ballot-is-a-lot-different-than-getting-in/)

[Orel Hershiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/)

> [I think you should have a mindset of getting to the playoffs, because once you get in the playoffs, it is kind of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/i-think-you-should-have-a-mindset-of-getting-to-the-playoffs-because/)

[Orel Hershiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/)

[Explore all 8 Orel Hershiser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/)

## More Athlete quotes

> [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/)

[Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/)

> [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/)

[Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/)

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

> [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/)

[Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/)

> [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/)

[Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/)

> [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

> [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/)

[Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/)

> [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/)

[Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/)

> [I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/i-didn-t-set-out-to-be-the-first-openly-gay-athlete-playing-in-a/)

[Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/)

> [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/)

[Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/)

> [I don't want to say names, but there are certain companies I won't work with because of previous people they've worked with. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/i-don-t-want-to-say-names-but-there-are-certain-companies-i-won-t/)

[Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/)

> [We are like highly trained athletes, who never run a race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/we-are-like-highly-trained-athletes-who-never-run-a-race/)

[Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/)

> [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/)

[Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/)

> [I didn't aspire to be a good sport; 'champion' was good enough for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-perry/i-didn-t-aspire-to-be-a-good-sport-champion-was-good-enough-for-me/)

[Fred Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-perry/)

> [Treat yourself like an overweight, out of shape person and that's what you will be. Why not train and treat yourself like an athlete?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalene-johnson/treat-yourself-like-an-overweight-out-of-shape-person-and-that-s-what/)

[Chalene Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalene-johnson/)

[Browse all 2,455 Athlete quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I'm proof that great things can happen to ordinary people if they work hard and never give up.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Orel Hershiser"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-to-ordinary-people-if-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Athlete"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-to-ordinary-people-if-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/orel-hershiser-46857_athlete_i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-t_272553.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/orel-hershiser-46857_athlete_i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-t_272553.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/orel-hershiser-46857_athlete_i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-t_272553.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm proof that great things can happen to ordinary people if they work hard and never give up.” — Orel Hershiser",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Orel Hershiser",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orel-hershiser/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'm proof that great things can...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-to-ordinary-people-if-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orel-hershiser/i-m-proof-that-great-things-can-happen-to-ordinary-people-if-they/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
