Shaquille O'Neal Quotes

I don't really care if I play really well, well, or okay. I want to win.

I put pressure on myself because I want to be the best player.

If we're playing and competing at the level we want to and we know we can, then nothing else is really going to matter.

Sometimes I'm not even satisfied when I got 6 points and 22 rebounds, because I'm always looking to do more.

For myself, losing is not coming second. It's getting out of the water knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I've been in.

I never think about records. I focus on my race and try to get onto the podium consistently. It's hard enough to do that.

I love hitting the ball, controlling the ball. And yeah, even the roar of the crowd. I enjoy the roar of the crowd probably less than some players and more than some. But I'm not out here to be a celebrity.

Some people don't like competition because it makes them work harder, better.

In 1981, at age 31, I was voted the best player in basketball, and the most valuable player in the league.

You know, I don't only play for the record books.

If you don't measure yourself by achievement, how are you going to set achievement levels for other people?

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

I set pretty high expectations for myself, and I hold myself to a pretty high standard.

I have a very high expectation for everything I do. And when I go out and compete, I expect myself to make every play.

It doesn't eat at me. As a competitor, it drives you. It's hard to say this without someone saying, 'Golly, he doesn't care that much.' I want to win a championship for our team, for our organization. I want us to win one bad. But do I lose sleep over it? Or would I be miserable one day if I never did it? The answer is no.

Ever since I was little, I wanted to win the NBA championship.

Those are the titles you play for, so I'd like to have a Grand Slam title in my life, and I'll do my best to do it.

I think something that has separated me from the rest of the competition - maybe it's just my way of thinking - I don't necessarily go into fights just wanting to win but to actually dominate. So when I don't feel like I dominate, sometimes I feel like a loser, I guess, you know, maybe in that perspective.

I'm not after the money or the fame. I'm after the world championship, and that's it.

I've already done enough to prove myself. Win or lose, I think I've done enough to cement my name in the history of this sport. So for me, it's more like I have to win just for an opportunity to get on the mic and say all that.

I asked myself whether I would be happy with limited playing time and I decided that wasn't good enough for me.

I don't just want to be that guy who throws hard.

I will be unhappy if I know I have not accomplished something I should have done that was possible.

At Inter, I was the best-paid player in the world. But it's not a question of money, because when I go out onto the pitch, I only have one thing in mind - winning.

Living up to people's expectations is one thing but it was even harder to live up to my own expectations.