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Kumar Sangakkara Quotes: The first compilation of this post was when Kumar Sangakkara announced his retirement from Test matches which filled me with nostalgic memories. It took me back to the times when I was rooting for India to win and the last man standing was often Kumar Sangakkara. Well, a true match is when the opponent is strong, reliable and trustworthy to put on a good show. With these solid reasons, I’m pleased to talk about Kumar Sangakkara quotes today.

Cricket is a funny game, we have legends and living legends but the game doesn’t stop for anyone! 

This applies to all sports quotes we can think of. It is rather fascinating to look at the history and some amazing sportsmen we have come across. The most common names that come in the Indian context are – Sachin Tendulkar, Dhanraj Pillai, Mary Kom and so on. History has been made and that too amidst challenges. (Related: Sachin Tendulkar Quotes)

But the game doesn’t stop for anyone. If I pivot these Sangakkara quotes to our lives, no matter what profession we choose, the profession or passion doesn’t stop for anyone. We just have to stick in and do our best. The results will find a way to follow us. Isn’t it the same as Karmayoga saying – do your job and let the results take care of themselves?

Ultimately, the most important thing is to create that balance between your passion and life. The game or your career moves on. We have to be on our toes to keep improving and continually delivering. As the challenges evolve, we need to evolve too. Or else, it is far too easy to become redundant.

Cricket is a funny game, we have legends and living legends but the game doesn’t stop for anyone! 

Kumar Sangakkara

Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion some day! 

You may recall the cliche – success and failure are two sides of the same coin. Perhaps! But the truth is – every success or failure is an event. If you fail, you just have to find a way to begin again more intelligently. These outcomes surely challenge us and make us worry and wonder. But you can’t lose sight of your life or dreams.

Ultimately, what matters is how important these things are for you. Minor setbacks can be delays, not denials. At every outcome, you have a decision to make – whether to quit or keep going. Both decisions are valid. But, you must make sure that you’re absolutely convinced with these decisions. The crux of this selection of Sangakkara quotes is in looking at each of these outcomes as feedback.

You can only get better from each feedback and find a way to improve. You need to keep getting better and finally, you can see the target materialize in front of you. I will revert back to the first quote – if you keep your focus and keep moving ahead, you will find a way!

Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion some day! 

Kumar Sangakkara

To win the ICC world cup would mean everything to me, simply to play in a world cup final would be fantastic. It is not about the past or the future, it is about the isolated moment in time which is the ICC world cup

This quote resonates about living in the moment. I can go on talking about mindfulness – but any sport is played in the moment of utmost concentration. You cannot afford to lose it by thinking about your past mistakes or glories. Your play at that point in time counts. If you’re lost in history, you’ll easily lose your opportunity of the day. Just like everything else, this is a trained skill to learn and make your own.

The professional players make it look easy. This is because they’ve spent adequate time learning about the importance of focus in sport. The same applies to your career and life – you cannot let the past drive your future. We can certainly learn from these mistakes, but can’t afford to live in those moments. The past can represent fears, hopes or even bright opportunities. But you cannot live there. If you want something to happen, the moment is now rather than some other day.

To win the ICC world cup would mean everything to me, simply to play in a world cup final would be fantastic. It is not about the past or the future, it is about the isolated moment in time which is the ICC world cup.

Kumar Sangakkara

A lot of people talk about mental strength, but its more about mental skills and adaptability than anything else. That’s what gets you through tough times

I like the distinction between mental strength and skill in this quote by Sangakkara. I believe strength is overrated, it makes you believe in weakness in tough times. But this mental ability can be trained, practised so that we get familiar with high-pressure situations. With sports, we are often pushed to high-pressure situations and expected to perform. This happens at all levels of the game – whether you are competing at the highest level or even as an amateur.

I’m not degrading the quality of pressure. It is certainly undisputed! We can get better at handling these pressures by putting ourselves into these situations. You might recall our discussion – wisdom comes from experience. In this context, it is not wisdom, but simply a trained habit. Whatever situation we need to face, the best opportunity is to train ourselves in a safe environment.

The real situation is tough, but we can come back to these previous experiences which can help define our immediate response to them. It is almost as good as saying that you prepare yourself for minimal surprises in life. And even if you’re surprised, you have a way of dealing with it.

A lot of people talk about mental strength, but its more about mental skills and adaptability than anything else. That’s what gets you through tough times.

Kumar Sangakkara

We should not allow fear and anxiety stop us from doing something. If you think through something well and prepare thoroughly, you can do a lot of things you think you can’t.

This is a common one isn’t it – Fear and anxiety. No matter how much we talk about these two, they appear to find their way into our lives. No wonder that most inspirational quotes or words talk about fear. And most of these fears are validated as well, none of them is meaningless. If you dissect these fears a little further, they are only sending a message to you.

Fear is usually an indicator that something is missing. Sometimes, these fears need to be validated to understand the meaning of fear. Once you understand these fears, it is about a strategy to find a way around them. But the bottom line is that you can’t allow fear or anxiety to stop you from your goals. Everything around us needs to direct us towards our own goals. We ought to prepare and work towards solutions that ultimately help us get rid of these anxieties and fears.

We should not allow fear and anxiety stop us from doing something. If you think through something well and prepare thoroughly, you can do a lot of things you think you can’t.

Kumar Sangakkara

Actually nobody can be perfect in cricket. Everybody makes mistakes. It is important to learn from your mistakes and correct them.

Perfection is an awful goal! I don’t mean it in any negative way. Excellence is a better goal because it helps you move forward. If you’re trying to hit the perfect shot, you’ll miss out on many opportunities which can give you a similar outcome. The practicality is in achieving the results you desire instead of letting the perception of perfection ruin your output.

Focus on what you need to achieve, keep moving forward. If at any point you are stuck in the idea of perfection, I’d recommend looking at these Sangakkara quotes – they help you direct your focus back into reality. We ought to make mistakes to move forward. If we’re worried about making mistakes and want to be right all the time then we run the risk of doing easy things. Naturally, this means that you restrict your ability to stretch and be better.

Actually nobody can be perfect in cricket. Everybody makes mistakes. It is important to learn from your mistakes and correct them.

Kumar Sangakkara

These were our 6 favourites from Sangakkara Quotes. Which one is yours?