What distinguishes a great player is his presence. When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.
BILL RUSSELLCommitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.
More Bill Russell Quotes
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The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.
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Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute.
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If a guy pays you five dollars, you give him seven dollars worth of work.
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The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I’d made my teammates play.
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I’ve been fortunate to meet and work with a lot of really smart people. The thing that strikes me most about them is how they continue to explore and learn every day. I have tried to apply that approach in my modest career as well.
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I think what has happened to our basketball team, we’ve been badly distracted. They’re not reading too many positive things in the paper.
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People say it was the greatest individual rivalry they’ve ever seen. I agree with that. Let me assure you that if either Wilt’s or Russ’ coach had ever told one of them he couldn’t guard the other guy, he would have lost that player forever.
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Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
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My father once told me that anyone who worked for three dollars an hour owed it to himself to put in four dollars’ worth of work.
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To 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.
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Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them.
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We couldn’t sustain it. And they got a lot of kids that can shoot. We just couldn’t close out well enough.
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My most prized possession was my library card from the Oakland Public Library.
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Durability is part of what makes a great athlete.
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What’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 RUSSELL