Top 90 Quotes & Sayings by Sonny Bill Williams - Page 2

I have learned from my mistakes... the business we are in is cutthroat. I have seen too many older blokes give their all for clubs, then be told they are not wanted. Even blokes still on contract are told to look elsewhere.

Being a young Kiwi lad, a young Polynesian boy, I was pretty close to my family. But when I moved to Sydney, I went from training twice a week, playing touch footy with my mates, to working full-time as a labourer and training professionally.

I guess you could say I have grown up, matured. I have seen a lot, and I guess that probably sums it up.

If I could go back and change how I left the NRL, I would. My name will forever be tarnished but I wasn't the man I am now.

You always have your knockers. There's always something wrong. But I'm happy. I think that I'm improving as a fighter; that's all I can ask for.

I just used to bank on my athleticism.

Boxing's not in my blood... it just grew on me.

What's the worst that can happen? I get knocked out. At least I tried.

It's pretty tough to play some good footy when your team is always losing.

I didn't feel that I really fit in anywhere. So when I was young I always had to prove myself through my sporting ability.

Just like in rugby, the pinnacle was playing for the All Blacks. That was always a massive thing. But you never speak it outwardly because it can sound stupid. But if you don't have massive dreams, you might as well stay in bed.

I think I'm evolving, I'm always in search of bettering myself, how I can improve as a sportsman and as a person.

It's not an easy gig, being in the NRL sometimes: you always feel for the boys because you have that mutual respect knowing what they go through.

It doesn't matter what you look like. Experience is the key.

It was a fairly normal happy upbringing. Not a lot of money, but a lot of love.

I do speak my mind a lot more than when I was younger. I guess that's just my Polynesian background. That's how we are: just sit back and try and fit in, try and make everyone else happy.

I've got confidence that I'll be able to pick it up eventually, but that's the reason I'm a full-time Sevens player this year: because I knew coming into it that it would be really tough, and I've got to give it my all.

Now, I know a lot of things in the big man's world are not what they seem: a lot of people are out for themselves, and you can't always trust what someone says.

I want to push myself.

I don't have the runs on the board to trash talk anyone in the boxing sense. I've got to do it the hard way and earn that respect.

My old man never used to cook, so we lived on takeaway. The others were always jealous.

You always feel for your fellow players when they are going through tough times, losing and things like that.

I am my own man now; I can think for myself, whereas when I was 20, 21, I always wanted to please others.

I wouldn't say I am a businessman.

I grew up as a Polynesian kid in the Polynesian community, and I was this skinny white kid.

In rugby union, I was out wide kicking stones with the pretty boys.

The NRL is not an easy gig, but they have some good talent, some good youngsters coming through.

I had to work on the fundamentals of the game because in league, the position I played, it was just bash and crash.

I would say I have become a lot smarter in the way I understand things.

I've got to do everything extra to put myself in the best shape to get in the World Cup squad.