Of all my achievements in tennis, I'm probably as proud of my record on clay courts as any of my Wimbledon, U.S. Open or French singles titles.

To be a tennis champion, you have to be inflexible. You have to be stubborn. You have to be arrogant. You have to be selfish and self-absorbed. Kind of tunnel vision almost.

You've got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.

My first U.S. Open I think was just very special for me because that was sort of the beginning of what was a 'Cinderella' story for me.

When I play, I'm boiling inside. I just try not to show it because it's a lack of composure, and if you give in to your emotions after one loss, you're liable to have three or four in a row.

If you're a champion, you have to have it in your heart.

Find something that you're really interested in doing in your life. Pursue it, set goals, and commit yourself to excellence. Do the best you can.

You can't give up! If you give up, you're like everybody else.

Competitive toughness is an acquired skill and not an inherited gift.

Whatever your goal in life, be proud of every day that you are able to work in that direction.

The difference is almost all mental. The top players just hate to lose. I think that's the difference. A champion hates to lose even more than she loves to win.

There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it.

You're wondering if I really would slit your throat. To tell the truth, I don't know either, but think of the fun we could have finding out.

In our day, computer technology and the proliferation of books on CD-ROM have not affected - as far as statistics show - the production and sale of books in their old-fashioned codex form.

There are lots of things I could have done for the money, but I've made a great living doing the things I want to do.

Goal achievement is hero's work.

I get a sentence, an idea, an image, and I start. I don't know anything beyond it. I follow it.

When a couch potato is sliced up and then deep fried that is couch french fries.

Our healthcare is a horror show.

Occasionally it does hit me, the words on a page. And I still love doing that, as I have for the last 60 years.

If I could solve all the problems myself, I would.