Top 120 Serena Williams Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.”

— Serena Williams

Featured in: Inspirational Quotes for Women, Impact Quotes, Positive Quotes for Women, Motivational Quotes for Women, Strong Women Quotes

2. “I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.”

— Serena Williams

Featured in: Athlete Quotes, Recovery Quotes, Mental Strength Quotes, Resilience Quotes, Loss Quotes

3. “I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger.”

— Serena Williams

4. “Everyone’s dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard.”

— Serena Williams

5. “Nothing comes to a sleeper but a dream.”

— Serena Williams

6. “If Plan A isn’t working, I have Plan B, Plan C, and even Plan D.”

— Serena Williams

7. “Luck has nothing to do with it.”

— Serena Williams

8. “I always believe I can beat the best, achieve the best. I always see myself in the top position.”

— Serena Williams

9. “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.”

— Serena Williams

10. “I think you have to love yourself before you fall in love. I’m still learning to love myself.”

— Serena Williams

11. “Luck has nothing to do with it, because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come.”

— Serena Williams

12. “I think in life you should work on yourself until the day you die.”

— Serena Williams

13. “If you smile things will work out.”

— Serena Williams

14. “I just never give up. I fight to the end. You can’t go out and say, ‘I want a bag of never-say-die spirit.’ It’s not for sale. It has to be innate.”

— Serena Williams

15. “I love who I am, and I encourage other people to love and embrace who they are. But it definitely wasn’t easy – it took me a while.”

— Serena Williams

16. “I’ve had to learn to fight all my life – got to learn to keep smiling. If you smile things will work out.”

— Serena Williams

17. “When you lose, you get up, you make it better, you TRY AGAIN.”

— Serena Williams

18. “I never thought about leaving a tennis legacy. I always thought about leaving a legacy of fulfillment, living out your dreams, and giving back.”

— Serena Williams

19. “Victory is very, very sweet. It tastes better than any dessert you’ve ever had.”

— Serena Williams

20. “We all know who the real number one is. Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”

— Serena Williams

21. “A champion is not defined by their wins but how they recover when they fall.”

— Serena Williams

22. “You can be whatever size you are, and you can be beautiful both inside and out. We’re always told what’s beautiful and what’s not, and that’s not right.”

— Serena Williams

23. “Since I don’t look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good.”

— Serena Williams

24. “I’m not one to blame anyone else for anything. And I don’t think anyone else should either.”

— Serena Williams

25. “Think of all the girls who could become top athletes but quit sports because they’re afraid of having too many defined muscles and being made fun of or called unattractive.”

— Serena Williams

26. “I’m not used to crying. It’s a little difficult. All my life I’ve had to fight. It’s just another fight I’m going to have to learn how to win, that’s all. I’m just going to have to keep smiling.”

— Serena Williams

27. “I just hate to lose. When I am on the court, it is like my life depends on it.”

— Serena Williams

28. “I always say that when I’m playing well, no one can beat me. I’m not just saying that to sound full of myself or anything, but it’s true.”

— Serena Williams

29. “If anything, you know, I think losing makes me even more motivated.”

— Serena Williams

30. “Venus told me the other day that champions don’t get nervous in tight situations. That really helped me a lot. I decided I shouldn’t get nervous and just do the best I can.”

— Serena Williams

31. “I’m like a chameleon. I can kind of change and get my game going to whatever the situation is. If I play well, which I don’t think I’ve even reached yet at all in this tournament, it’s really hard for anyone to beat me.”

— Serena Williams

32. “I don’t know if I’ve had my share of drama, but I’ve definitely had my share of hard times.”

— Serena Williams

33. “Tennis just a game, family is forever.”

— Serena Williams

34. “It’s me, and I love me. I learned to love me. I’ve been like this my whole life, and I embrace me. I love how I look. I love that I’m a full woman and I’m strong and I’m powerful and I’m beautiful at the same time. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

— Serena Williams

35. “I’m a perfectionist. I’m pretty much insatiable. I feel there’s so many things I can improve on.”

— Serena Williams

36. “Honestly, I could get in a car accident today and never play tennis again, and then I wouldn’t have anything to fall back on. But fortunately enough, I do.”

— Serena Williams

37. “I’m really super feminine, and I’m really soft. I’m very sensitive, I realized.”

— Serena Williams

38. “I always say if I play my best it’s difficult to beat me.”

— Serena Williams

39. “I’ve always considered myself the best and the top. I never considered that I was out of it.”

— Serena Williams

40. “My smile is my favorite part of my body. I think a smile can make your whole body.”

— Serena Williams

41. “Growing up I wasn’t the richest, but I had a rich family in spirit. Standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen. I went on a court just with a ball and a racket and with a hope.”

— Serena Williams

42. “For the younger sisters, we always look up to the older sisters because they’re always ahead of us and they always win.”

— Serena Williams

43. “I try not to be protected. Because I feel like you can become a little bit of a robot. That’s not who I am. And I don’t want to be monotone. It’s important to be yourself, whatever the cost.”

— Serena Williams

44. “I’m an athlete and I’m black, and a lot of black athletes go broke. I do not want to become a statistic, so maybe I overcompensate. But I’m paranoid. Oprah told me a long time ago, ‘You sign every check. Never let anyone sign any checks.’”

— Serena Williams

45. “If I’m winning, I have to act like I’m not bored. If it’s A tough match, I have to act like I’m having A good time. I’m a drama queen.”

— Serena Williams

46. “I meet people who say, “Girl, I watch every match, and I pray for you.” I feel that energy and those prayers. Sometimes when I’m down on the court, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking, “They want me to win. Is there anything else I can give?” It encourages me to do better, to fight harder.”

— Serena Williams

47. “You can’t play well if you don’t look good.”

— Serena Williams

48. “There are people who live, breathe and dress tennis.”

— Serena Williams

49. “There’s always another record, then there’s always another person to catch up with or to pass.”

— Serena Williams

50. “Someone like Billie Jean King is completely my idol.”

— Serena Williams