Here are 30 Uplifting Quotes from Arthur Ashe. These quotes reflect Arthur Ashe’s wisdom, integrity, and his commitment to excellence both on and off the tennis court:
- “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Time Magazine, 1986
- “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “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.” – Sports Illustrated, 1993
- “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” – The Winner (1977)
- “You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “I may not be walking with you all the way, or even much of the way, as I walk now. But I want you to know that I am in full harmony with you.” – Speech, 1970
- “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” – TIME Magazine, 1986
- “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.” – Time Magazine, 1992
- “We must reach out our hand in friendship and dignity both to those who would befriend us and those who would be our enemy.” – Interview, 1990
- “I’ve always believed that the results you achieve will be in direct proportion to the effort you apply.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “When bright young minds can’t afford college, America pays the price.” – Interview, 1984
- “The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight.” – Sports Illustrated, 1973
- “Being a black man in America is like being a black sheep in a white flock.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “You learn about equality in history and civics, but you find out life is not really like that.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “A wise person decides slowly but abides by these decisions.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “The only way to make the audience feel sorry for you is to make yourself look ridiculous.” – The New York Times, 1975
- “Living is the delay of the sensation of dying.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “Clothes and manners do not make the man; but, when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance.” – Interview, 1977
- “You can’t let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “I don’t want to be remembered for my tennis accomplishments.” – Interview, 1993
- “I have tried to keep in mind that even when tennis served a specific function, it was, nevertheless, not my life.” – Sports Illustrated, 1992
- “My potential is more than can be expressed within the bounds of my race or ethnic identity.” – Interview, 1985
- “The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “You’ve got to make decisions, and sometimes they’re very difficult.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “I’m not sure God wants us to keep scoring points in life.” – Time Magazine, 1992
- “Trust has to be earned, and should come only after the passage of time.” – Days of Grace (1993)
- “The world over, I would like to see races living together, that’s all.” – Interview, 1987
- “My mother taught me that I should always look for the good in people.” – Interview, 1977
- “It’s not just enough to play good tennis. You have to win.” – The Winner (1977)
- “I don’t want to be remembered as the ‘great black tennis player.’ I want to be remembered as a great champion.” – Interview, 1993