“I may not be walking with you all the way, or even much of the way, as I walk with you now.”

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.

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.

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

I have always drawn strength from being close to home.

If one’s reputation is a possession, then of all my possessions, my reputation means most to me.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

It’s an abnormal world I live in. I don’t belong anywhere. It’s like I’m floating down the middle. I’m never quite sure where I am.

A wise person decides slowly but abides by these decisions.

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

I don’t want to be remembered for my tennis accomplishments. That’s no contribution to society. Tennis was purely selfish; that was for me.

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

You really are never playing an opponent. You are playing yourself.

Let me put it this way: I think Republicans tend to keep the ball in play, Democrats go for broke.

Nobody is hurt. Hurt is in the mind. If you can walk, you can run.

Offensively, you do what you do best and you do it again and again. Defensively, you attack your opponent’s strength.

When you start training camp, you’re building the tools necessary to win a championship. You have to have the patience.

The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That’s the essence of it.

But sports carried me away from being in a gang, or being associated with drugs. Sports was my way out.

Don’t be afraid to fail. Anything that I’ve ever attempted I was always willing to fail. You can’t always win, but don’t be afraid of making decisions.

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.

What is love? Love is playing every game as if it’s your last!