Top 218 Quotes & Sayings by Serena Williams - Page 2

Having a pulmonary embolism is definitely easier than heart break.

People want more fit arms, but my arms are too fit. But I'm not complaining. They pay my bills.

What's going to make me happy is going on the court and holding up trophies, singles and doubles.

I do want to look good still; I do want to be healthy.

I'm an athlete and I'm black, and a lot of black athletes go broke. I do not want to become a statistic, so maybe I overcompensate. But I'm paranoid. Oprah told me a long time ago, 'You sign every check. Never let anyone sign any checks.'

I want to be a giving woman and just a nice person in general.

When I was younger, I was always obsessed with nails.

My dad is the nicest guy you'll ever meet, and the easiest going.

There's one thing I'm really good at, and that's hitting the ball over a net, in a box. I'm excellent.

I'm so frugal, you wouldn't believe it.

My dad is a marketing mastermind.

I want to knock on people's doors and preach. But I also meet a lot of people on planes and in restaurants, and you can preach with them or place some literature with them.

I try not to have too many rituals because I believe that rituals don't help you win. I used to do rituals a lot and it was crazy.

Tennis is my job, but it's not my life.

All my life I'd woken up to tennis, tennis, tennis. Even if I don't go to practise, I'm thinking about it all day.

I feel as a brand I'm here to be around for a long time.

When I'm down, I talk to myself a lot. I look crazy because I'm constantly having an argument with myself.

I've always enjoyed acting. When we were younger, my sisters and I would put on plays for our parents.

It's remarkable she [Venus Williams] plays at all, given her Sjögren's syndrome [an autoimmune disorder that can cause joint pain]. She's back, winning tournaments. She didn't allow society to tell her, "You have this disease; you can't do that anymore." I look at her, like, "She's not playing at 100 percent. You are. You don't have excuses." Knowing what she went through helped me try to be a more positive person.

I'm a high-performance athlete: I'm running, I'm sprinting, I'm sliding, I'm doing pretty much everything and the last thing I want to worry about is my chest. I want to just worry about playing the sport at the highest level that I can.

Am I the greatest? I don't know. I'm the greatest that I can be.

I always say if I play my best it's difficult to beat me

My smile is my favorite part of my body. I think a smile can make your whole body.

I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger.

I love "Phenomenal Woman." The experiences she had of being African American in the U.S. - that itself is a task. I appreciate the hardships Maya Angelou went through for our generation. I'm super influenced by the black people that paved the way for us.

I always believe I can beat the best, achieve the best. I always see myself in the top position.

Legendary? I don't know. I'm just Serena.

Think of all the girls who could become top athletes but quit sports because they're afraid of having too many defined muscles and being made fun of or called unattractive.

I think you have to love yourself before you fall in love. I'm still learning to love myself.

Nothing comes to a sleeper but a dream.

My smile is my favorite part of my body. I think a smile can make your whole body. I want women to know that it's ok. That you can be whatever size you are and be beautiful inside and out.

When you lose, you get up, you make it better, you TRY AGAIN.

You can't underestimate anyone.

I think in life you should work on yourself until the day you die.

You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.

It's me, and I love me. I learned to love me. I've been like this my whole life, and I embrace me. I love how I look. I love that I'm a full woman and I'm strong and I'm powerful and I'm beautiful at the same time. There's nothing wrong with that.

I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall

I don't have anything to prove ever, ever in my life. If I have something to prove, what does that mean for everyone else? And I think everyone should have that attitude. You just have to prove to yourself that you can go out there and be the best that you can be and not prove anything to anyone.

If you smile things will work out.

Growing up I wasn't the richest, but I had a rich family in spirit. Standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen. I went on a court just with a ball and a racket and with a hope.

Will I have to explain to my daughter that her brother is gonna make more money doing the exact same job because he's a man? If they both played sports since they were three years old, they both worked just as hard, but because he's a boy, they're gonna give him more money? Like, how am I gonna explain that to her? In tennis we've had great pioneers that paved the way - including Venus [Williams], who fought so hard for Wimbledon to pay women the same prize money they pay men, and Billie Jean King, who is one of the main reasons Title IX exists.

I just hate to lose. When I am on the court, it is like my life depends on it.

I like to wear classic silhouettes and add a punch to it. I'll wear a high-waist legging and a super-crop top or a see-through top with a nice bra underneath. And I just always try to mix it up with heels or something.

If I have a daughter and she plays tennis, and I have a son who plays tennis, I wouldn't say that my son deserves more money because he's a man. I would say they deserve the same amount of money.

I just never give up. I fight to the end. You can't go out and say, 'I want a bag of never-say-die spirit.' It's not for sale. It has to be innate.

I never left my roots. You can identify me as someone that didn't become high and mighty. Humility is a defining [trait] all of us can forever learn, and I try to be as humble as anyone can be.

I don't have anything to prove ever, ever in my life. If I have something to prove, what does that mean for everyone else? And I think everyone should have that attitude.

Luck has nothing to do with it.

You just have to prove to yourself that you can go out there and be the best that you can be and not prove anything to anyone.

With a defeat, when you lose, you get up, you make it better, you try again. That's what I do in life, when I get down, when I get sick, I don't want to just stop. I keep going and I try to do more. Everyone always says never give up but you really have to take that to heart and really do never definitely give up. Keep trying.

I don't like to lose-at anything... Yet I've grown most not from victories, but setbacks. If winning is God's reward, then losing is how he teaches us.

I don't go thinking I'm going to lose. I never go into a tournament thinking that. I'll do the best that I can.

I never thought about leaving a tennis legacy. I always thought about leaving a legacy of fulfillment, living out your dreams, and giving back.

Victory is very, very sweet. It tastes better than any dessert you've ever had.

I really hope that I can be helpful in that journey because I do believe that women deserve the same pay. We work just as hard as men do. I've been working, playing tennis, since I was three years old. And to be paid less just because of my sex - it doesn't seem fair.

I think I can improve a lot. I think I can get a lot better. I feel like there's much, much more I can do.

I went on the courts with just a ball and a racket and a hope...and that's all I had.

The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you're very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.

If Plan A isn't working, I have Plan B, Plan C, and even Plan D.

If I'm winning, I have to act like I'm not bored. If it's A tough match, I have to act like I'm having A good time. I'm a drama queen.