Billie Jean King Quotes

Champions keep playing until they get it right.

Women get the attention when we get into the men's arena, and that's sad.

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

A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.

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

Be bold. If you're going to make an error, make a doozy, and don't be afraid to hit the ball.

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

Any therapist will tell you that when you're ready, you will come out. To be outed means you weren't ready.

Ever since that day when I was 11 years old, and I wasn't allowed in a photo because I wasn't wearing a tennis skirt, I knew that I wanted to change the sport.

Everyone has people in their lives that are gay, lesbian or transgender or bisexual. They may not want to admit it, but I guarantee they know somebody.

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

I always wanted to help make tennis a team sport.

I didn't really care if I had a coach that much, me personally, because I was brought up to think for myself.

I knew after my first lesson what I wanted to do with my life.

I like putting money back into what made my life, and tennis has been great to me.

I love to promote our sport. I love grass-roots tennis. I love coaching. I love all parts of the sport. I love the business side.

I think it's impossible to judge whether another person should come out. You just hope they will on their own time and their own terms.

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

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.

I used to be told if I talked about my sexuality in any way that we wouldn't have a tennis tour.

I wanted to use sports for social change.

I was always in the tennis business-from 1968. I was in tournaments and also on World Team Tennis teams as well.

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.

In 1973, women got 59 cents on the dollar; now we are getting 74 cents on the dollar. In the area of finance and business, we are at 68 cents on the dollar.