Quotes By Billie Jean King

In 1973, a woman could not get a credit card without her husband or father or a male signing off on it.

I would just never out anybody. I think everyone has to find it in their own way and their own time.

I always wanted to help make tennis a team sport.

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

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.

There is no life for girls in team sports past Little League. I got into tennis when I realized this, and because I thought golf would be too slow for me, and I was too scared to swim.

Martina's gone with people who don't want to be out, and it drives her crazy because she'd rather be open.

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

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.

It is very hard to be a female leader. While it is assumed that any man, no matter how tough, has a soft side... and female leader is assumed to be one-dimensional.

Victory is fleeting. Losing is forever.

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

Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquillity.

Men still get a lot more opportunity. It is still a big part of the old boy network. They have more companies they can get money from.

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

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

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

They're not put on earth to be martyrs; they have to want to come out. It depends on your culture, where you work, where you live. Each person's circumstances are unique.

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.

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

When they take surveys of women in business, of the Fortune 500, the successful women, 80% of them, say they were in sports as a young woman.

The main thing is to care. Care very hard, even if it is only a game you are playing.

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.

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

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

Sports are a microcosm of society.

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

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

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.