Venus Williams quotes:

Some people say I have attitude - maybe I do... but I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does - that makes you a winner right there.

I have been recently diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medical condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain.

I always like to win. But I'm the big sister. I want to make sure she has everything, even if I don't have anything. It's hard. I love her too much. That's what counts.

You have to stay on top and learn from mistakes.

My first job is big sister and I take that very seriously.

In the sports arena I would say there is nothing like training and preparation. You have to train your mind as much as your body.

Tennis is mostly mental. Of course, you must have a lot of physical skill, but you can't play tennis well and not be a good thinker. You win or lose the match before you even go out there.

The principle of the design - the harmony, rhythm and balance are all the same with interior and fashion design.

All those lessons that I've learned on the court, I have applied them to my life outside of the court in business, my company, called V Starr interiors, an interior design company, and EleVen, which I wear on court.

I don't come to tournaments to make friends, to go to parties, to hold conversations. I come to be the best, and I'm not mean and cruel and dirty.

I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.

Losses have propelled me to even bigger places, so I understand the importance of losing. You can never get complacent because a loss is always around the corner. It's in any game that you're in - a business game or whatever - you can't get complacent.

Interior design is a business of trust.

I'm only seeing tennis balls these days. And maybe the occasional fashion sketch.

I just try to stay positive and focused on the tennis, not let anything get to me, like crazy questions. But I'm tough, let me tell you, tough as nails.

I tend to be slim and you know, I actually can lose weight quicker than I can gain it.

Of course, I want to be number one. But being happy and healthy is the most important thing.

Right now, I'm at the top of the world in my game so my focus isn't on when I'm going to end. My focus is on playing the best tennis that I can, and there is no end to that.

Some people say that I have an attitude- Maybe I do. But I think that you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does- that makes you a winner right there.

I love design.

Sjogren's is something you live with your whole life. The good news for me is now I know what's happening after spending years not knowing... I feel like I can get better and move on.

No TV, no acting for me. I'm kind of a more behind-the-scenes kind of woman even though what I do is very public. I'm really low-key and I don't need to be the center of attention.

My dresses are designed to win, so going through it, I think about, what do I want to represent? So, definitely, Vera Wang has been an inspiration for me.

If the sun comes up, I have a chance.

I think I can change the game.

When you're on top, you're on top.

If you're not a competitor, you've just got to go home.

I contribute my best in my sport and I also have a ton of respect for myself and my family.

Life is challenging but I'm always up for a challenge.

My ambition is to enjoy my life and to do exactly what I want to do. And I'll do that. I will be free.

Rain is good for me. I feel like I achieve clarity actually when it rains. The longer I have to sit and wait, the clearer my game becomes to me.

Everyone makes their own comments. That's how rumors get started.

The day I'm not improving will be the day I hang up the racket.

If you give me a short shot I will attack you. I'm not a baseliner who rallies. I try to get the point over with.

For years I felt that I didn't have enough stamina and then, four years ago, I felt like I was not getting enough air but I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. The medicine for asthma never worked.

Chiropractic gives me the flexibility I need to keep in the game.

If I cared deeply about what people thought of me, I probably would have never made it out of Compton, California.

As far as everyone else's opinion, I mean, if I would have thought that everyone was right, I probably wouldn't have left Compton, so I don't get too caught up on what the next person thinks.

I don't carry a purse when I fly because I have my Hello Kitty carry-on. I'm the biggest adult supporter.

My motto is: I'm alive, so that means I can do anything.

I guess it's a little bit sentimental, but at the time I was really very focused in on really my performance. Afterwards, it was really just a breath of fresh air, just like, 'Oh, yes, I'm back now. I'm doing good.'

Just believe in yourself. Even if you don't, pretend that you do and, at some point, you will.

It is very important not to think about losing.

The naysayers, they don't mean a thing.

I will always be the older sister. That's never going to change.

I'm this overachiever type, I'll just work and work and I'll just do it over and over and over again.

The thing is, it's not good anyway for eight-year-olds to be out there playing tennis tournaments so soon in their lives. But when I did get to play in a tournament, when I was nine, I was overjoyed.

The outfit is inspired by Alice in Wonderland. It's kind of about a surprise, because when Alice goes down the rabbit hole, she finds all these things that are so surprising. This outfit is about having a surprise in a tennis dress, and showing some skin and then just having a print. Prints don't happen that often in tennis. So it's called the Wonderland dress.

I think nowadays it's so easy as an athlete to become a statistic whether or not you lose everything or having trouble or whatever it may be.

My goal is always the same: to keep the other player from ever scoring a point. That doesn't always happen, but that's what I try for.

I guess rumors are more exciting than the truth.

It wasn't like I was self-motivated. My dad started me. It was his dream before it was mine.

Well, when I walk behind short people I feel like I'm going to fall over because I start taking these little steps, and I can't take little steps.

In my mind, I'm always the best. If I walk out on the court (and) I think the next person is better, I've already lost.

A lot of times when you play... you get this adrenalin that blocks pain.

Unfortunately the world is what it is now. People don't get along for whatever reason. As professional athletes, in a way we're almost ambassadors for peace, because sports brings everyone together.

I've always found the rain very calming.

My motto has always been that you can't say, 'Oh, it won't happen to me.' You have to say, 'That can happen to me.' So always be aware that things can happen.

You can never get complacent because a loss is always around the corner.

The big push for me is the Olympics this year. If I'm healthy, I'm not worried about my ranking. I think I can hit the ball. It's just about my body cooperating. It's about being able to play matches in a row. Right now, I'm not sure how much I can do with that, but we'll see.

The thing about tennis is if you stay off for two weeks, or just for three days, you can lose your rhythm quickly. So it's just a question of constant diligence and vigilance.

My style is kind of eclectic and I don't like to do the same thing over and over again. I like to have fun and explore myself so you won't see the same design.

Grand Slam losses are hard. I treat myself after losses though, I usually go to McDonald's and I have a hamburger and you know, something. Because you know, you just need to be nice to yourself sometimes after the loss.

I know it's not the most important thing for me to win the most Grand Slams and be remembered in this world. I certainly don't have to win little tournaments here, there and everywhere, I don't have to win at all. Although I do want to.

Serena and I have done some great career planning, and we're playing really at the peak of our tennis right now. I think tennis has been a sport where people play this insane schedule from 14 years old, so of course at 26, it's over. We've really paced ourselves.

I knew my destiny was to be in the winner's circle. There were times along the way where I didn't make it there. But I felt my destiny was definitely to win big titles, win lots of titles.

Oh and Oh' is a tennis term... It's a nice way of saying you took your opponent to pieces.

To stay interested in tennis, I have to mix it up with other things.

I'd like to imagine that in order to beat me a person would have to play almost perfect tennis.

A win's a win, unless it is not a win, and then it's not a win.

Anything which draws attention to me because I am so attractive.

As long as we're fit, we just have so much to give on the court.

Every Olympics is something special. If you're fortunate enough to play for your country - there's just so much energy. It's truly amazing.

Everybody's got their problems. The important thing is not to complain about it.

Everything is tennis for me, it's my career and it's entertainment, but it's also a business.

I am someone who likes to stay positive.

I believe I live in a black and white. I think things are like either black or white. I don't really believe that much in the gray. I think that there's gray for a lot of people, but I don't live in the gray. I realize whatever action I have or take, it's going to have a consequence -- either good or bad. So I live my life in a way where I don't have bad consequences. I just notice there's a lot people around me just live in the gray. I don't know, for me, I'm just really straightforward.

I can walk around fine, but I don't have a desk job.

I don't have time to be negative.

I don't want to give anyone an edge in my mind. Every time I walk out on the court, I have to feel I'm the best so I can compete well. A lot of times, my chief rival is just me.

I feel a little more tired than usual, ... Ive had to recover from everything, my illnesses and things this summer. Its not perfect circumstances, but Im definitely going to be out there and hopefully have my letdown after the Open ... I think Ill go in mentally a lot better. When it comes down to it I dont think anyone really wants to play me because I have a lot of weapons and not a ton of weaknesses. My main weakness would probably be an occasional self-destruction mode. So Ill try not to touch that red button accidentally.

I feel amazing right now. I just feel like dancing.

I guess some kids around me had to grow up quickly, had all those problems. But I wasn't one of those kids, or around those kids, not at all.

I guess tennis is my main art, but fashion is definitely very close.

I have a lot of dreams, and most of them come true these days.

I have to say accounting almost killed me.

I know I'm good at tennis. Other than that, everything else is a wild card. I'm a wild card.

I love to be busy, and when I'm off the court, I do things I love.

I remember watching the Olympics at home as a kid. It was one my Dad's dreams to win an Olympic medal.

I say accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. If you don't accessorize, someone else will.

I think every single point will be important, .. I think more than anything, I'll just have to be able to compete better. When you're playing Serena Williams, you have to compete better than her. I got a lot of tricks from Serena just watching her. She inspired me so many times. I also got motivated by her in the early part of my career, and even now. I just have to compete better, bottom line.

I think if you have the opportunity to bully your opponent then you have to take that chance.

I think I've been fortunate to be at the top of the game and in the media for years, and a lot of times, people want to be your friend when you're on the top. You know, there have been times when I've been injured and I never got a phone call. So that's the way it is.

I think that Billie (Jean King) and Zina (Garrison), they have a whole lot of experience. Even if I don't quite agree with something or have a different way of doing it this week, whatever they said, I did it right away and I found out that it was correct. I think that's helped a lot...I'm having fun. I had a lot of fun out there. Sometimes I was ready to smile -- but I knew I'd lose focus -- because I was doing things that I'd done in practice and we talked about. I was ready to laugh and give someone a high-five, but it wasn't time for that.

I truly believe that whoever feels the most confident is usually the one to win.

I try to update as much as possible. You don't want to be in the past.

I wear a lot of tight dresses, so I'm like, 'I need to do my sit-ups!'

Id like to imagine that in order to beat me a person would have to play almost perfect tennis.

If I didn't play tennis I don't know where I'd be.

If I don't wear something I feel confident in, I don't play as well.

If I go down, it's never easy. At least my opponent knows they have to go to the end of the earth to take me out no matter what the circumstances. I do try to compete. Even if it's not your best day, I just try to walk off the court knowing I gave 100,000 percent.

If Id lived prior to the 1980s, it would have been different, because I would have been playing to prove African Americans are equal. Now, I dont necessarily feel I have to play for black people, because obviously theyre doing everything in all sports. If I can go out there and play for myself and not feel I have to stand for something other than what I want to do, thats good.

I'm always on the court with my dad.

I'm not a trend person. I don't want to look to my right and see somebody in the same thing.

It's a great feeling to have accomplished what I have, but I want to do more.

It's a nice bonus but, you know, I have to pay taxes too. (after winning the Grand Slam Cup.

It's easy to stand back, but to move forward and take a chance, that takes a little more guts, a little more courage.

It's every Williams for themself.

It's thrilling and it's an honor to be part of something bigger than your own self.

It's what I've trained for, from the first sketch to the fabric. Making dresses that are different from the usual style, and a lot of fun to wear.

My parents always told us, you know, you have to get your education. You're not supposed to become a statistic.

Nerves are normal. You can't be cured from them unless you're a machine.

'Oh and Oh' is a tennis term... It's a nice way of saying you took your opponent to pieces.

People ask me where I get my fighting qualities from, and I have to say Serena.

Serena and I, we don't have anything to prove ... we still set a very high standard.

Since I started playing at the Olympics in 2000, I have always wanted to do a dress based on Wonder Woman. It should be interesting to wear. And hopefully, it will get me a gold medal.

So what if you fail? At least you'll know what not to do when you try again.

Some people say I have attitude - maybe I do...but I think you have to.

Sometimes, when there's a video montage. I'm thinking, 'That's my life. Oh, my God, I did that.' Yeah, it's amazing.

Sometimes, you know, once you pay your taxes and once you pay your expenses, once you've lived this life, things add up quickly. And it's easy to become a statistic. And that's something I've always tried to avoid, and I've always said, hey - not that it won't be me, that, hey, it could be me.