Althea Gibson Quotes

The idea of being given things that you don't necessarily deserve was always a difficult one for me to negotiate, and so I really always felt that I had to prove myself. Being the daughter of a famous man I guess is more easy than being the daughter of a famous woman, but at the same time there was a sense of really, with me, of wanting to earn my own way.

Being part of a team helped me so much. I know the fact that there was a man in the room with me all those years made the medicine go down. I had made the companies money. I didn't have to start, like a lot of women, from ground zero. My path was not the same as a woman starting out by herself.

I hold doors open for all the women. Men can open the doors for themselves.

I'm amazed that years after I stopped playing tennis, people still recognize me in restaurants and ask for my autograph.

I've always said that I didn't want to be given a job because I was a female, I wanted it because I was the most well-qualified person for the job. And making certain that companies are going to move forward in that vein, that is what women want.

I am not better than anyone else just because I play football.

I just want to make a name for myself and get to the next level.

I don't think anyone should pick a candidate for any office based solely on gender. That would be, I believe, a mistake.

It's absolutely wrong that I don't want guys to challenge me. And the people who say that aren't in the room.

He who will be just, must be forc'd to acknowledge, that neither Sex are always in the right.

You have to get in the limelight based on what you do, how creative you are, and not how much money you make.

Like most ghetto kids I knew it was important to be 'somebody' so I became a good soccer player, because excelling at a sport seemed to make you special.

Sexuality and gender don't change anyone's performance on the court.

But if our sex would but well consider and rationally ponder, they will perceive and find that it is neither words nor place that can advance them, but worth and merit.

I just want to be known for what I do, not who I know.

I don't judge my success in life as a football player.

You must be worthy of the best, but not more worthy than the rest.

I guess at the end of the day, all women like to be appreciated and treated with respect and kindness.

I truly don't know why the boys are getting all the votes - it could be because they are really amazing, and that's all there is to it. They're really, really good and every single boy deserves to be in the competition right now, and so do the two girls.

Give the girls a chance.

I'd rather they call me a national treasure than a national waste of time. And yes, it does feel good, but I've had to earn it.

Making the Hall of Fame has long been considered the top individual honor that one can achieve in any sport, but for me, I feel it is a culmination of all the input and effort afforded me from so many other people over the years that put me in this position today.

I don't have to justify myself. I work a lot and I earn a lot.

I'm a girl, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate greatness and the struggle of sports. My situation - and I've always said this, even in politics - is may the best man win. I'm not team-bound.

There is a thing about women, in particular, being endlessly grateful for the opportunities in life, rather than saying, 'I'm here because I'm good.'