Shawn Kemp Quotes

The difficulty with any sort of esteem is that more is expected of you.

When shots are going for six and you're playing well, everyone is trying to big you up. Mis=hit one, get out, all the negative people come out.

All the time, people are always saying to me that I need to shoot more.

I'm at the age where I've got to prove that I'm just as good as I never was.

I have to prove myself five times over.

At the same time, it makes me feel like I have to prove myself to the new guys coming in as well as prove myself to the coaching staff, which is a good bit of motivation for me.

The only players I hurt with my words are the ones who have an inflated opinion of their ability. I can't worry about that.

I think maybe in a way it gets worse because you come in with a real reputation and they've paid you lots of money and all that.

I've always swung the same way. The difference is when I swing and miss, people say, 'He's swinging for the fences.' But when I swing and make contact people say, 'That's a nice swing.' But there's no difference, it's the same swing.

There's a lot more pressure on me at United. There are people out there trying to shoot you down.

I learned that when you do the best job that you can do, some people will idolize you, others won't care, and some will vilify you.

When you're 0-2 in the Super Bowl, they say unkind things about you. They say, 'He can't win the big one.' And that's the worst thing that can be said about you.

I felt very honored, and I knew that people would be watching very closely, and I felt it was very, very important that I do a good job.

I was asked to act when I couldn't act. I was asked to sing 'Funny Face' when I couldn't sing, and dance with Fred Astaire when I couldn't dance - and do all kinds of things I wasn't prepared for. Then I tried like mad to cope with it.

My first impression when I made it through was 'Good, because I'm going to prove to you that I deserve to be here', because they told me that sometimes I lack confidence in my performance and sometimes I'm not as consistent as they'd like me to be.

The two things I've been told most often since my career took off - by taxi drivers, lifelong friends and everyone in between - have been, 'Don't ever change, Margot' and 'You can't do that anymore, Margot.'

I put a lot of pressure on myself, but I also have what I call an X-factor.

I knew the pressure would be huge. I knew Manchester United was a massive club and a big challenge for me. Hopefully I'm proving to people that I can rise to the challenge.

We know that if you have a good game, you are God, and if you misplace five passes in a row, they want to kick you out of Madrid. You have to find the middle ground.

When you come into training in the morning, knowing that people are talking about you in the same breath as players of the Busby era, it is fantastic, but I can't let it affect me.

I would have prepared differently before big matches but I wouldn't change my life.

Once you have had success there are always people focusing on why it happened. Inevitably, there is a lot of scrutiny when you don't achieve the same again.

A footballer must be prepared to be welcomed when all is well and to receive criticism when things are not working out. Of course, it is not easy nor pleasant to hear negative things about you.

You will get criticised, you will get praised - that's the way football goes. I've learned over a few years now that it can change within an instant.

Obviously there are a lot of expectations when you come to a club for a record fee but you can't change that. You just need to perform and show it on the pitch and gain respect through that.