Arthur Ashe

“If I were to say, "God, why me?" about the bad things, then I should have said, "God, why me?" about the good things that happened in my life.”

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”

“You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.”

“Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you’re behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory.”

“The best way to judge a life is to ask yourself, "Did I make the best use of the time I had?”

“Racism is not an excuse to not do the best you can.”

“The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight.”

“We blacks look for leadership in men and women of such youth and inexperience, as well as poverty of education and character, that it is no wonder that we sometimes seem rudderless.... We see basketball players and pop singers as possible role models, when nothing could be further, in most cases, from their capacities.”

“Wherever I am when you feel sick at heart and weary of life, or when you stumble and fall and don’t know if you can get up again, think of me. I will be watching and smiling and cheering on.”

“Success is a journey not a destination. The doing is usually more important than the outcome. Not everyone can be Number 1.”

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”

“From what we get, we can make a living. What we give; however, makes a life.”