Arthur Ashe Quotes

Arthur Ashe shares thoughtful reflections on effort and growth, ideal for readers seeking inspiration about success.

58 quotes

1. 'Racism is not an excuse to not do the best you can.'

2. 'From what we get, we can make a living: what we give, however makes a life.'

3. '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.'

4. 'Drummed into me, above all, by my dad, by the whole family, was that without your good name, you would be nothing.'

5. 'Clothes and manners do not make the man, but where he is made they greatly improve his appearance.'

6. 'Every time you win, it diminishes the fear a little bit. You never really cancel the fear of losing; you keep challenging it.'

7. '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.'

8. 'One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.'

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

10. 'Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.'

11. 'Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.'

12. 'We are 100 percent sure the cause of my HIV infection was a blood transfusion either after my 1979 bypass operation or my 1983 operation. We are 95 percent sure it was the '83 operation.'

13. 'Some folks call tennis a rich people's sport or a white person's game. I guess I started too early because I just thought it was something fun to do. Later, I discovered there was a lot of work to being good in tennis. You've got to make a lot of sacrifices and spend a lot of time if you really want to achieve with this sport, or in any sport, or in anything truly worthwhile.'

14. 'When I took the match point, all the years, all the effort, all the support I had received over the years came together. It's a long way from Brook Field to Wimbledon.'

15. 'What it is controlled cool, in a way. Always have the situation under control, even when losing. Never betray an inward sense of defeat.'

16. 'I may not be walking with you all the way, or even much of the way, as I walk with you now. Don't be angry with me if I am not there in person, alive and well, when you need me. I would like nothing more than to be with you always. Do not feel sorry for me if I am gone. When we were together, I loved you deeply and you gave me so much happiness I can never repay you. Camera, 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 you on.'

17. 'The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight.'

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

19. 'I don't want to be remembered for my tennis accomplishments,' he once said. 'That's no contribution to society. That [tennis] was purely selfish; that was for me.'

20. 'A wise person decides slowly but abides by these decisions.'

21. 'Trust has to be earned, and should come only after the passage of time.'

22. 'I know I could never forgive myself if IU elected to live without humane purpose, without trying to help the poor and unfortunate, without recognizing that perhaps the purest joy in life comes with trying to help others.'

23. 'I wanted to indulge and explore my love of humanity and especially my concern for persons less fortunate than myself.'

24. 'I keep sailing on in this middle passage. I am sailing into the wind and the dark. But I am doing my best to keep my boat steady and my sails full.'

25. 'I accepted the face that as much as I want to lead others, and love to be around other people, in some essential way, I am something of a loner.'

26. 'My only true regret, however, is that now that I see the world more clearly than ever, as I believe I do, I don't seem to have the time left to translate my visions into action as I would like.'

27. 'My potential is more than can be expressed within the bounds of my race or ethnic identity.'

28. 'My humanity, in common with all of God's children, gives the greatest flight to my full range of my possibilities.'

29. 'I have always drawn strength from being close to home.'

30. 'We must reach out our hand in friendship and dignity both to those who would befriend us and those who would be our enemy.'

31. 'We must believe in the power of education. We must respect just laws. We must love ourselves, our old and or young, our women as well as our men.'

32. 'I have tried to keep on with my striving because this is the only hope I have of ever achieving anything worthwhile and lasting.'

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

34. If I don't ask "Why me?" after my victories, I cannot ask "Why me?" after my setbacks and disasters.

35. Someone once told me that God figured that I was a pretty good juggler. I could keep a lot of balls in the air at one time. So He said, "Let's see if he can juggle another one."

36. Seven out of 10 black faces you see on television are athletes. The black athlete carries the image of the black community. He carries the cross, in a way, until blacks make inroads in other dimensions.

37. You learn about equality in history and civics, but you find out life is not really like that.

38. If I didn't play tennis I probably would have to see a psychiatrist.

39. I have always tried to be true to myself, to pick those battles I felt were important. My ultimate responsibility is to myself. I could never be anything else.

40. 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.

41. Later, I discovered there was a lot of work to being good in tennis.

42. I guess I started too early because I just thought it was something fun to do.

43. It is not just the more talented player who wins. Some players may try a little harder.

44. Start where you are, use what you have.

45. You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself... and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.

46. I have become convinced that we blacks spend too much time on the playing field and too little time in libraries.

47. I don't want to be remembered for my tennis accomplishments.

48. Fear isn't an excuse to come to a standstill. It's the impetus to step up and strike.

49. You come to realize that life is short, and you have to step up. Don't feel sorry for me. Much is expected of those who are strong.

50. There is a terrific apprehension among some people that blacks will take over the sport... It will create problems because their behavior, speech and dress is just a completely different culture.

51. I don't care who you are, you're going to choke in certain matches. You get to a point where your legs don't move and you can't take a deep breath. You start to hit the ball about a yard wide, instead of inches.

52. Sometimes, a defeat can be more beautiful and satisfying than certain victories. The English have a point in insisting that it matters not who won or lost, but how you played the game.

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

54. I'm learning to use others' weaknesses. I don't hammer a man's soft spot constantly, because he may strengthen it. I just save it as a trump up my sleeve for moments when I really need a point.

55. A couple of times a day I sit quietly and visualize my body fighting the AIDS virus. It's the same as me sitting and seeing myself hit the perfect serve. I did that often when I was an athlete.

56. 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 you on.

57. I take the good with the bad, and I try to face them both with as much calm and dignity as I can muster.

58. The world over - 50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, when I was holding a cup I never asked GOD 'Why me?'. And today in pain I should not be asking GOD 'Why me?'