Check out the best Cool Runnings quotes that celebrate courage, perseverance, friendship, and the power of believing in yourself.
Cool Runnings is a beloved sports comedy film inspired by the true story of Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsled team at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Released in 1993 and directed by Jon Turteltaub, the movie has become a timeless classic for its blend of humor, heart, and inspiration.
The film follows four Jamaican athletes who dare to pursue Olympic glory in a sport they’ve never experienced.
With the guidance of a disgraced but determined coach, portrayed brilliantly by John Candy, the team learns that winning isn’t just about medals, but about pride, teamwork, self-belief, and finishing with honor.
Beyond its laughs and iconic moments, Cool Runnings delivers meaningful life lessons about resilience, overcoming doubt, and standing tall against impossible odds.
Its unforgettable characters and motivational dialogue have turned it into one of the most inspiring sports movies of all time.
Here are the most famous Cool Runnings quotes that celebrate confidence, determination, and the spirit of never giving up.
Top 10 Cool Runnings Quotes
- “I’m not smoking, I’m breathing!” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “I’m feeling very Olympic today. How about you?” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “Everybody falls down. The trick is to get back up.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
- “When you cross that finish line tomorrow, you’ll know.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
- “How about ‘Cool Runnings’? Means peace be the journey.” — Derice, (Cool Runnings)
- “You mean winter, as in igloos and Eskimos and penguins and ice?” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “How about I draw a line down the middle of your head so it looks like a butt?” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, it’s bobsled time! Cool runnings!” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “I see pride! I see power! I see a bad-ass mother who don’t take no crap off of nobody!” — Yul Brenner, (Cool Runnings)
- “A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
Best Cool Runnings Quotes
- “Sanka mon, whatcha smoking?” — Derice, (Cool Runnings)
- “Seemin’ to you nobody likes us?” — Junior, (Cool Runnings)
- “Gentlemen, a bobsled is a simple thing.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
- “That’s a hell of a place to be coming from!” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “Hey coach, how will I know if I’m enough?” — Derice, (Cool Runnings)
- “I’ll give you a buck if you would just shut up.” — Old Man, (Cool Runnings)
- “This is what the Swiss do to psyche themselves up.” — Derice, (Cool Runnings)
- “Derice, why are you hitting the teammates’ helmets?” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “You may as well put training wheels on their bobsled.” — Josef, (Cool Runnings)
- “Winning a bobsled race is about one thing: the push-start.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
- “They also make them little pocket knives, too, but I don’t see you doing that.” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “Tallulah! Hahaha! Tallulah! Sounds like a 2 dollar hooker! Where you come up with that?” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “Oh, pardon me. I didn’t realize that four black guys in a bobsled could make you blush.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
- “Maid service sir. Would you like your bed turned down? Mint? Perhaps I could dust your head?” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “The driver has to work harder than anyone. He’s the first to show up, and the last to leave. When his buddies are all out drinking beer, he’s up in his room studying pictures of turns.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
Famous Cool Runnings Movie Quotes & Dialogues
- “I am not a box man!” — Sanka Coffie, (Cool Runnings)
- “Cold? I’m freezing my royal Rastafarian nay-nays off!” — Sanka Coffie, (Cool Runnings)
- “Well the right foot for us is not the Swiss foot. I mean come on Derice, we can’t be copying nobody else’s style. We have our own style.” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “What is that, Derice? Derice: It’s a bobsled, Sanka. Sanka: It looks like a cart with no wheels. Derice: That’s exactly what it is.” — Derice & Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “I had to win. You see, Derice, I had made winning my whole life, and when you make winning your whole life, you have to keep on winning, no matter what.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
- “Whether you win or lose a bobsled race, it’s all about right here, the push-start! And this is where you’re gonna learn about the push-start, is right here in a Volkswagen!” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
- “When you need something from me…All you have to do is..say, “you are my best friend and we have been through a whole heap together and I really, really need you.” — Sanka, (Cool Runnings)
- “Oh, yeah, just one little drawback to this delightful winter sport. The high-speed crash. Ooh! That hurt. Always remember, your bones will not break in a bobsled. No, no, no. They shatter.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
- “So am I, and the best I can be is Jamaican. Look, Derice… I’ve known you since Julie Jeffreys asked to see your ding-a-ling and I’m telling you as a friend if we look Jamaican, walk Jamaican, talk Jamaican and is Jamaican, then we sure as hell better bobsled Jamaican.” — Sanka Coffie, (Cool Runnings)
- “It doesn’t matter if they come in first or 50th. Those guys have earned the right to represent their country. They’ve earned the right to march into that stadium and wave their nation’s flag. That’s the single greatest honor an athlete can ever have. That’s what the Olympics are about.” — Irving, (Cool Runnings)
Conclusion
What are your favorite Cool Runnings quotes and Cool Runnings sayings listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed, then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
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