1. “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi was a player and coach of American football – that’s a sport in which you get knocked down a lot! To be a successful football player, you can’t stop playing every time you get knocked down – you have to get up and keep playing, with persistence and determination.
When learning English, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes. There will be moments when you’re embarrassed about your English or when you don’t understand what someone is saying. These moments can “knock you down” by making you less confident and making you want to give up.
It’s not possible to avoid these moments completely, because mistakes and failures are a natural part of the language learning process. But the most important thing is to get up, to continue practicing and trying, so that you make progress and succeed in learning English.
2. “Knowing is not Enough; We Must Apply. Wishing Is Not Enough; We Must Do.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Have you studied English for more than a year, but you still feel like you can’t speak it or use it? This is a sign that you “know” the words and grammar rules, but you haven’t put them into practice. Could you imagine someone who studied all the facts about dancing – like the history and the technique of each movement – but who never danced? It’s not enough just to have knowledge about English in our heads – we need to take action by USING the language.
Whenever you learn new vocabulary words, expressions, or grammar rules, try to create your own sentences using them. My English courses are also designed to help you put everything you learn into practice.
3. “Whether You Think You Can Or Think You Can’t, You’re Right.” – Henry Ford
This quote shows the importance of your attitude. If you believe you CAN do something, then you will be able to do it. If you believe you CAN’T do something, then you will not succeed. Many students have negative attitudes about their own English skills – but in my experience as a teacher, everyone from any country and at any age, is capable of becoming fluent in English!
If you tend to feel negatively about your English ability, change your mindset and remind yourself regularly that you CAN succeed.
4. “What You Lack In Talent Can Be Made Up With Desire, Hustle And Giving 110% All The Time.” – Don Zimmer
You might think you have no natural talent for learning languages – and it’s true that different people have different abilities. Some students learn very quickly and easily, and for others it’s harder and takes longer. But this quote is saying that talent isn’t everything. If you don’t have talent, you can still succeed if you have desire (meaning you really want it), hustle (meaning you work very hard) and giving 110% (meaning you put in extra effort).
5. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” – Robert Collier
This quote is one of my favorites! How do Olympic athletes, professional musicians, and famous artists become successful? They work on their sport/art every day, repeating exercises hundreds or thousands of time until they master the skills.
In the same way, you can become successful in English – speaking fluently, understanding confidently, and using grammar and vocabulary easily – by making small efforts every day. Study one EspressoEnglish lesson per day, or listen to one podcast, read one article in English, or practice speaking for 15 minutes. These little efforts build up over time, like small bricks placed one by one can build a huge castle.
