Heart in champions has to do with the depth of our motivation and how well your mind and body react to pressure – that is, being able to do what you do best under maximum pain and stress.
BILL RUSSELLHeart in champions has to do with the depth of our motivation and how well your mind and body react to pressure – that is, being able to do what you do best under maximum pain and stress.
BILL RUSSELLSuccess is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions. There is nothing miraculous about the process. There is no luck involved.
BILL RUSSELLThe only important statistic is the final score.
BILL RUSSELLThe last five or six days, I’ve been running. The last two days, I’ve been running pretty hard. Everybody’s got to be someplace.
BILL RUSSELLYou got to have the killer instinct. If you do not have it, forget about basketball and go into social psychology or something. If you sometimes wonder if you’ve got it, you ain’t got it. No pussycats, please.
BILL RUSSELLI think what has happened to our basketball team, we’ve been badly distracted. They’re not reading too many positive things in the paper.
BILL RUSSELLIf a guy pays you five dollars, you give him seven dollars worth of work.
BILL RUSSELLRemember that basketball is a game of habits. If you make the other guy deviate from his habits, you’ve got him.
BILL RUSSELLConcentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
BILL RUSSELLTo love someone is nothing, to be loved by someone is something, to love someone who loves you is everything.
BILL RUSSELLMost people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them.
BILL RUSSELLIf Shakespeare can compare all of life to a stage, maybe it’s not odd to believe that part of the play can take place on a basketball court.
BILL RUSSELLIf you really have integrity, there are very few people who can insult you, or honor you.
BILL RUSSELLWhat’s more important than who’s going to be the first black manager is who’s going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times.
BILL RUSSELLWhat distinguishes a great player is his presence. When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.
BILL RUSSELLTo me, the most important part of winning is joy. You can win without joy, but winning that’s joyless is like eating in a four-star restaurant when you’re not hungry. Joy is a current of energy in your body, like chlorophyll or sunlight, that fills you up and makes you naturally want to do your best.
BILL RUSSELL