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.
BILLIE JEAN KINGThe old boy network is still very strong and very true. Just look at the stock exchange and how many men and women are there. It is still very much run by men.
More Billie Jean King Quotes
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Victory is fleeting. Losing is forever.
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I always respect right off the bat because we are human, but then over time you learn who the person truly is, just like they learn about you.
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I have a lot to say, and if I’m not No. 1, I can’t say it.
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When I’m performing at my absolute best, I think that some of the euphoria I feel must be transmitted to the audience.
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I didn’t really care if I had a coach that much, me personally, because I was brought up to think for myself.
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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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A girl didn’t get an athletic scholarship until the fall of 1972 for the very first time.
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Don’t be afraid to hit the ball.
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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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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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At 62 you want to keep moving; that’s important.
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Each point I play is in the now moment. The last point means nothing, the next point means nothing.
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You have got to want to be the best before you can even begin to reach for that goal, and you have got to be prepared to sacrifice a lot to get there.
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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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When I was outed, it was like, That’s done.
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When they take surveys of women in business, of the Fortune 500, the successful women, 80% of them, say they were in sports as a young woman.
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Every generation I think gets better usually [in tennis].
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As far as U.S. tennis, we need new stars coming up in the pipeline, but I don’t know if we have it.
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I was always in the tennis business-from 1968. I was in tournaments and also on World Team Tennis teams as well.
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It’s about learning your craft. That’s a wonderful thing–especially with today’s consumerism and instant gratification.
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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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Trust and respect is something you earn, not something that is given.
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It’s important to try to get people to think about women’s wellness.
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Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life.
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I always listen, I ask children, I even ask adults in tennis, “What are your children playing?” And most of the time it’s not tennis. It’s pathetic.
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The main thing is to care. Care very hard, even if it is only a game you are playing.
BILLIE JEAN KING