“The trouble with being number one in the world – in anything- is that it takes a certain mentality to attain that position, and that is something of a driving, perfectionist attitude, so that once you do achieve number one, you don’t relax and enjoy it.”

When I was outed, it was like, That’s done.

Sports are a microcosm of society.

A girl didn’t get an athletic scholarship until the fall of 1972 for the very first time.

Champions take responsibility.

I will tell you King’s First Law of Recognition: You never get it when you want it, and then when it comes, you get too much.

In 1973, a woman could not get a credit card without her husband or father or a male signing off on it.

I always liked co-ed events best so we have two men and two women on each team.

Pressure is a privilege … it’s what you do with it that matters.

I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion.

Some people do have softer boundaries.

It’s really impossible for athletes to grow up. On the one hand, you’re still a child, still playing a game. But on the other hand, you’re a superhuman hero that everyone dreams of being. No wonder we have such a hard time understanding who we are.

At 62 you want to keep moving; that’s important.

You do have to get players every year. You have to deal with calendar. You have to deal with all kinds of things in our sport, like every sport does.

I have a lot to say, and if I’m not No. 1, I can’t say it.

Every generation I think gets better usually [in tennis].

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.

Squaring numbers are just like women. If they’re under thirteen, just do them in your head.

The cool part about naming your kid is you don’t have to add six numbers to make sure the name is available.

[John Howard] led the Government. They had the numbers, and just basically automatically went along with the Americans.

I think there are a number of reasons, not least of which is the personality of the Queen [ Elizabeth II]. It’s very easy to underrate her significance.

Large numbers of people are broken from the notion that the system is working for people, that the system is just or humane or peaceful.

We worry about the seemingly ever-increasing number of natural catastrophes. Yet this is mainly a consequence of CNN.

I think that age as a number is not nearly as important as health. You can be in poor health and be pretty miserable at 40 or 50. If you’re in good health, you can enjoy things into your 80s.

The movers and shakers on our planet, aren’t the billionaires and generals, they are the incredible numbers of people around the world filled with love for neighbor and for the earth who are resisting, remaking, restoring, renewing and revitalising.