I hope I epitomize the American dream. For I came against long odds, from the ghetto to the very top of my profession. I was not immediately good at basketball. It did not come easy. It came as the result of a lot of hard work and self-sacrifice. The rewards, where they worth it? One thousand times over.

Bill Russell

Categorized in : Sports Leadership Basketball

Success is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions. There is nothing miraculous about the process. There is no luck involved.

Bill Russell

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The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I’d made my teammates play.

Bill Russell

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Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.

Bill Russell

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Learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission. I truly believe in the saying "We work to become, not to acquire."

Bill Russell

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To love someone is nothing, to be loved by someone is something, to love someone who loves you is everything.

Bill Russell

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If you really have integrity, there are very few people who can insult you, or honor you.

Bill Russell

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The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.

Bill Russell

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If a guy pays you five dollars, you give him seven dollars worth of work.

Bill Russell

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You can do anything you want to do if you want it bad enough

Bill Russell

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What distinguishes a great player is his presence. When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.

Bill Russell

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Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.

Bill Russell

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To me, the most important part of winning is joy. You can win without joy, but winning that’s joyless is like eating in a four-star restaurant when you’re not hungry. Joy is a current of energy in your body, like chlorophyll or sunlight, that fills you up and makes you naturally want to do your best.

Bill Russell

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I don't have very many regrets, not because I lived a perfect life but because life is a bunch of rolling hills, not mountains, or speed bumps instead of stop signs, and so you come to a situation and it's neither good or bad, it just is, and what it means to you is what's your take on it. But the second part of the equation is what are you going to do about it. A lot of times I'm completely wrong, but all you do is back up and start over.

Bill Russell

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You got to have the killer instinct. If you do not have it, forget about basketball and go into social psychology or something. If you sometimes wonder if you've got it, you ain't got it. No pussycats, please.

Bill Russell

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My most prized possession was my library card from the Oakland Public Library.

Bill Russell

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If Shakespeare can compare all of life to a stage, maybe it's not odd to believe that part of the play can take place on a basketball court.

Bill Russell

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Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them.

Bill Russell

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Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute.

Bill Russell

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Remember that basketball is a game of habits. If you make the other guy deviate from his habits, you've got him

Bill Russell

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Heart in champions has to do with the depth of our motivation and how well your mind and body react to pressure - that is, being able to do what you do best under maximum pain and stress.

Bill Russell

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