Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American World No. 1 professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles, ranking him among the best tennis players from the United States.
Ashe, an African American, was the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.
One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.
Trust has to be earned, and should come only after the passage of time.
If I were to say, “God, why me?” about the bad things, then I should have said, “God, why me?” about the good things that happened in my life.
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.
From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.
You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.
A wise person decides slowly but abides by these decisions.
Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you’re behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
The best way to judge a life is to ask yourself, “Did I make the best use of the time I had?
Why Me?
Arthur Ashe was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: “Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease”?
To this Arthur Ashe replied:
The world over —
50 million children start playing tennis,
5 million learn to play tennis,
500,000 learn professional tennis,
50,000 come to the circuit,
5000 reach the grand slam,
50 reach Wimbledon,
4 to semi final,
2 to the finals.
When I was holding the trophy I never asked GOD: “Why me?”.
So today in pain, I should not be asking GOD: “Why me?”
