Itzhak Perlman Quotes

I had a series of childhood illnesses... scarlet fever.... pneumonia.... Polio. I walked with braces until I was at least nine years old. My life wasn't like the average person who grew up and decided to enter the world of sports.

Tragedy brings change, and that's what I'm interested in most - how people plunge into change and try to fight, then eventually move with it with grace.

People call me a whole lot of things, but above anything else, I'm a fighter, and it's going to be hard to accept an identity without that.

I have always had a dream to take part in an Olympic Games, and losing my leg didn't change anything.

What I really admire are people like my daughter, Victoria, who don't give up, who have daily medical challenges and medical conditions. They go on with their lives and make the best of it, not giving up even when it's not easy.

We imagine things - that we wouldn't be able to survive, but in fact, we do survive. We have no choice, so we do it.

I've never once heard my mom complain about her stroke.

When I met Richard Leakey, I thought, 'This is the most charismatic man I've ever met.' He has no legs. He lost them when his plane was sabotaged. But he's an interesting, sort of narcissistic guy.

I have never been one to run when tragedy strikes.

Losing my father at a tender age was extremely important in being able to accept what happened to me later when I became a quadriplegic.

I was talking to a guy who was holding his 18-month-old daughter with the only limb he had left, and he had a smile on his face. I thought, 'I'm not even a 10th of this man.'

I forged myself out of a vacuum. I crawl along the highway on hacked off stumps year after year. Some wonder how and why. I never do.

I've got a bad leg; I'm a little overweight, so I can't run fast, but I will fight.

I reject the idea of myself as a tragic figure.

I made a choice before I lost my legs that I was going to live the best life possible and that I wasn't going to let this slow me down - and that choice has kept me moving forward.

I think me having one hand made me work even harder than many other people.

Of course, I was 19 years old, and I suddenly lost my legs. It was extremely traumatic at the time, but I'm so beyond that. I've done so much with my life.

Losing my legs was one of the greatest opportunities of my life.

I've been a fighter all my life. I just don't look like that.

Since losing my legs, I've found out that I am able to help other people by sharing how I've overcome my obstacles.

Prepared to fly, even if she has to loose her legs to do it

The one-legged never stumble.

I don't see why I should bow my head when I could hold it high, or place it in the hands of my enemies when I can defeat them.

The essence of warriorship, or the essence of human bravery, is refusing to give up on anyone or anything. We can never say that we are simply falling to pieces or that anyone else is, and we can never say that about the world either. Within our lifetime there will be great problems in the world, but let us make sure than within our lifetime do disasters happen. We can prevent them. It is up to us.

I have always tried to teach my players to be fighters. When I say that, I don't mean put up your dukes and get in a fistfight over something. I'm talking about facing adversity in your life. There is not a person alive who isn't going to have some awfully bad days in their lives. I tell my players that what I mean by fighting is when your house burns down, and your wife runs off with the drummer, and you've lost your job and all the odds are against you. What are you going to do? Most people just lay down and quit. Well, I want my people to fight back.