There were times when deep down inside I wanted to win so badly I could actually will it to happen. I think most of my career has been based on desire.

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.

Creative thinking inspires ideas. Ideas inspire change.

What I'm trying to do is create moments of recognition.

It was really like waking up one morning and going, Wow, I enjoy being with this person more than anybody else in my life, and it just turned out to be mutual.

The fact that China has about seven percent arable land, means that she’s always going to be looking for places that have more arable lands to finance or to provide food stuffs.

The art which is grand and yet simple is that which presupposes the greatest elevation both in artist and in public.

What's in a question, you ask? Everything. It is evoking stimulating response or stultifying inquiry. It is, in essence, the very core of teaching.

I've been very lucky in the characters I've chosen. Up until last year I was a nobody. I did jobs I booked because I needed to put food in my mouth.

Listen to the sound of waves within you.

No woman has to be a victim of physical abuse. Women have to feel like they are not alone.

You might get lucky and die in some corner. ~Soi Fon