Maurice Ashley Quotes

Mine was an easy ride compared to Jackie Robinson's.

My instinct was that it was Sidney's childhood in the Bahamas that gave him the fearlessness to fight racism. So this documentary was a kind of rounding out of what had begun in that scene in In the Heat of the Night.

I see similarities between Jackie Robinson and myself.

Jim Crow was king... and I heard a game in which Jackie Robinson was playing, and I felt pride in being alive.

In England, I've never really had a problem with racism.

I liked Jackie Robinson because he was cool to watch, not because he was black. Every time you turned around, he was hitting a triple or making a great play in the field or, best of all, stealing home.

Robinson was important to all blacks. To make it into the majors and to take all the name calling, he had to be something special. He had to take all this for years, not just for Jackie Robinson, but for the nation.

All though I didn't meet him. His legend and his saga and his story is just that. Jackie Robinson, we all have to tip our hat to him. Because he made the game available to guys like me.

I could not have taken what he took, sliding into second base and having a guy stand over you and spit on you, call you every name in the book. Believe me, for him not to respond, to ignore it and not retaliate, you can't say enough good about Jackie.

In so many ways, segregation shaped me, and education liberated me.

Racism is not new. It was not invented just for you. So get bigger than that stuff.

There is an incredible film, 42. It's the incredible story of Jackie Robinson. I have extolled the virtues of this movie to everyone I meet. I've given quotes to everyone I talk to.

'Free Solo' has got nothing to do with politics, so to speak, but why are audiences responding to it in the degree that they did? I think it's because we give people an opportunity to see someone. Also, he's able to connect when you don't think he could connect. It's a respite.

Like Nemanja Vidic, I came from a small town in a small country in Eastern Europe, but we had reached the top.

As a black woman in the industry, you really do have to hold your head higher, stick your chest out, be kind and polite and generous even when you don't want to be sometimes. I learned that and, also, just to never take no for an answer.

I'm not sure that there are days of my life when I'm not confronted with racism. For some, that may seem hyperbolic, but it's true.

The black man's journey within the genre of grappling wasn't unlike the challenges their brethren faced in professional sports, entertainment and, most importantly, everyday life. To say it was challenging would be a massive understatement.

I'm a successful individual and maneuvering in a culture where there are some racists. I still find a way to get to the top, whether I go around or weave through.

I was very much a student of the sport. I wanted to know everything, all the moves. It was the coolest thing I had seen. I started winning matches. Dads didn't want their sons to face a girl. Coaches didn't want to put any of their wrestlers up against me to be beaten by a girl.

I always said that if I had the platform and the opportunity to share my story and make it easier for others, I would - so that, in a way, I can be the role model that I was looking for as a kid.

I've experienced racism and run-ins with the law, and it's a real thing, and it happens where I grew up. It's something that not a lot of people want to talk about. I feel like I have a duty, and I wouldn't be honest or true to myself if I didn't speak about it.

Coming from Canada, I've always had people doubt me or doubt my ability. We're just going to keep letting our game talk.

When I started competing, I was so broke that I had to tie my helmet with a piece of string. On one jump, the string snapped, and my helmet carried on farther than I did. I may have been the first ski jumper ever beaten by his gear.

Going back about 10 years ago, the only thing a black kid could do to get out of the ghetto was being a sports star. Now we can add music to that, which is a good achievement in itself.

Color does matter, even though people don't see it. I've lived it my whole life. It's just what I know.