Top 90 Billie Jean King Quotes (2025 Update)
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51. “At 62 you want to keep moving; that’s important.”

— Billie Jean King

52. “Women get the attention when we get into the men’s arena, and that’s sad.”

— Billie Jean King

53. “In the seventies we had to make it acceptable for people to accept girls and women as athletes. We had to make it okay for them to be active. Those were much scarier times for females in sports.”

— Billie Jean King

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

— Billie Jean King

55. “For me, losing a tennis match isn’t failure, it’s research.”

— Billie Jean King

56. “The trouble with being number one in the world – in anything- is that it takes a certain mentality to attain that position, and that is something of a driving, perfectionist attitude, so that once you do achieve number one, you don’t relax and enjoy it.”

— Billie Jean King

57. “Ladies, here’s a hint. If you’re up against a girl with big boobs, bring her to the net and make her hit backhand volleys. That’s the hardest shot for the well-endowed.”

— Billie Jean King

58. “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.”

— Billie Jean King

59. “When you oppress people either by gender, by race, by sexual orientation, when you do that and the doors become ajar, they will fly open and they will come and they have.”

— Billie Jean King

60. “You have got to want to be the best before you can even begin to reach for that goal, and you have got to be prepared to sacrifice a lot to get there.”

— Billie Jean King

61. “Winning is very tangible, it’s very exciting, it’s very pleasing, but it’s momentary. If you can do things that last, that each generation can build upon, then that’s when you’re cooking.”

— Billie Jean King

62. “Any therapist will tell you that when you’re ready, you will come out. To be outed means you weren’t ready.”

— Billie Jean King

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

— Billie Jean King

64. “Men can have a huge turnover of sponsorship and still survive a lot better than the women. But the women’s ratings are better, at least at home in the United States than in the men’s tennis.”

— Billie Jean King

65. “It’s your birthday today, so what would you say, if we turned that frown upside down.”

— Billie Jean King

66. “The old boy network is still very strong and very true. Just look at the stock exchange and how many men and women are there. It is still very much run by men.”

— Billie Jean King

67. “When I was outed, it was like, That’s done.”

— Billie Jean King

68. “Ask Nureyev to stop dancing, ask Sinatra to stop singing, then you can ask me to stop playing.”

— Billie Jean King

69. “When we reach the point where the women athletes are getting their pick of dates just as easily as the men athletes, then we’ve really and truly arrived. Parity at last!”

— Billie Jean King

70. “If your partner wants to be private, you have to respect that.”

— Billie Jean King

71. “I think it’s really important to have portion control. I don’t believe in losing weight quickly.”

— Billie Jean King

72. “I always listen, I ask children, I even ask adults in tennis, “What are your children playing?” And most of the time it’s not tennis. It’s pathetic.”

— Billie Jean King

73. “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.”

— Billie Jean King

74. “It’s really impossible for athletes to grow up. On the one hand, you’re still a child, still playing a game. But on the other hand, you’re a superhuman hero that everyone dreams of being. No wonder we have such a hard time understanding who we are.”

— Billie Jean King

75. “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.”

— Billie Jean King

76. “You’ve got to win in sports – that’s talent – but you’ve also got to learn how to remind everybody how you did win, and how often. That comes with experience.”

— Billie Jean King

77. “I always respect right off the bat because we are human, but then over time you learn who the person truly is, just like they learn about you. Hope it works out really well, and you hope that builds a stronger connection over time. You can’t be friends with everybody.”

— Billie Jean King

78. “Being Number One isn’t everything to me, but for those few hours on the court it’s way ahead of whatever’s in second place.”

— Billie Jean King

79. “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.”

— Billie Jean King

80. “People say, “Do you know how much a million dollars is?” I don’t have a clue. How many Big Macs will it buy me?”

— Billie Jean King

81. “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.”

— Billie Jean King

82. “Some people do have softer boundaries.”

— Billie Jean King

83. “I like to see what future generations are thinking about.”

— Billie Jean King

84. “It’s about learning your craft. That’s a wonderful thing – especially with today’s consumerism and instant gratification. You can’tbuy that. It’s about making decisions, corrections, choices. I don’t think it’s so much about becoming a tennis player. It’s about becoming a person.”

— Billie Jean King

85. “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.”

— Billie Jean King

86. “I would love to be a player today. I had the right personality for it.”

— Billie Jean King

87. “I always wanted to help make tennis a team sport.”

— Billie Jean King

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

— Billie Jean King

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

— Billie Jean King

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

— Billie Jean King

91. “The main thing is not a matter of wanting to win; the main thing is being scared to lose.”

— Billie Jean King

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

— Billie Jean King

93. “Martina and I went through a very bad five years. Everything’s very good between us now, but it was a long haul.”

— Billie Jean King

94. “Female athletes are stereotyped by the general population – and usually as homosexuals.”

— Billie Jean King

95. “Men and boys will accept you more easily when you excel at something they value.”

— Billie Jean King