Pressure is a privilege – it only comes to those who earn it.
BILLIE JEAN KINGI would just never out anybody. I think everyone has to find it in their own way and their own time.
More Billie Jean King Quotes
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Ask Nureyev to stop dancing, ask Sinatra to stop singing, then you can ask me to stop playing.
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I always think it’s best to pretend you’re in a tenuous position. Just as a player, you always want to stay in the now and work hard but also have goals for the future.
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If you have one gay experience, does that mean you’re gay? If you have one heterosexual experience, does that mean you’re straight? Life doesn’t work quite so cut and dried.
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Women’s sports is still in its infancy. The beginning of women’s sports in the United States started in 1972, with the passage of Title 9 for girls to finally get athletic scholarships.
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When we reach the point where the women athletes are getting their pick of dates just as easily as the men athletes, then we’ve really and truly arrived. Parity at last!
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I think younger players probably just think they are who they are-they don’t think about coming out. Unless you’re number one in the world, nobody cares, usually.
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Every generation I think gets better usually [in tennis].
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I would just never out anybody. I think everyone has to find it in their own way and their own time.
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I think one of the concerns, anytime you’re in the human business, like sports, it’s a very high – risk endeavor.
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That is where the power, opportunity, and choice come from-when you have money. Money equals opportunity. There is no question.
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There is no life for girls in team sports past Little League. I got into tennis when I realized this, and because I thought golf would be too slow for me, and I was too scared to swim.
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Don’t be afraid to hit the ball.
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When you oppress people either by gender, by race, by sexual orientation, when you do that and the doors become ajar, they will fly open and they will come and they have.
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Everyone has people in their lives that are gay, lesbian or transgender or bisexual. They may not want to admit it, but I guarantee they know somebody.
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I always liked co-ed events best so we have two men and two women on each team.
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A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.
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When a child signs up for tennis, he or she is put on a team. I put them in a circle and then I make sure they name their own team.
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Don’t go into debt and don’t spend a lot. It’s not how much money you make, it’s how much you spend.
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Sports are a microcosm of society. It just shows how much more competition there is in the world.
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Some people do have softer boundaries.
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Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquillity.
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We have, or have had women presidents or prime ministers in Liberia, Chile, Germany, Great Britain…and yet the US of A still hasn’t had a women president. It’s just beyond my thinking. Look at Congress.
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Marriage isn’t a 50-50 proposition very often. It’s more like 100-0 one moment and 0-100 the next.
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Men still get a lot more opportunity. It is still a big part of the old boy network… They have more companies they can get money from.
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Reputation is what others think about you. What’s far more important is character, because that is what you think about yourself.
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I like putting money back into what made my life, and tennis has been great to me.
BILLIE JEAN KING