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Serena Williams: 17 of the tennis star’s most empowering quotes

Today marks the 23-time Grand Slam winner's 38th birthday

Thursday 26 September 2019 15:00 BST

17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

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1/1717 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On what makes a true champion

'I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On putting in the work

'Luck has nothing to do with it, because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On embracing herself

'I've been like this my whole life, and I embrace me and I love how I look. I love that I am a full woman, and I'm strong and I'm powerful and I'm beautiful at the same time. And there's nothing wrong with that.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On learning from losses

'I don’t like to lose – at anything… Yet I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks. If winning is God’s reward, then losing is how he teaches us.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On making sacrifices

'Everything comes at a cost. Just what are you willing to pay for it?'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On the sweetness of victory

'Victory is very, very sweet. It tastes better than any dessert you’ve ever had.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On being dubbed the greatest

'Am I the greatest? I don’t know. I’m the greatest that I can be.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On women inspiring one another

'The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On never giving up

'With a defeat, when you lose, you get up, you make it better, you try again. That’s what I do in life, when I get down, when I get sick, I don’t want to just stop. I keep going and I try to do more. Everyone always says never give up but you really have to take that to heart and really do never definitely give up. Keep trying.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On her desire to win

'I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On not needing to prove anything in life

'I don’t have anything to prove ever, ever in my life. If I have something to prove, what does that mean for everyone else? And I think everyone should have that attitude.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On why being different is good

'Since I don’t look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On what it means to be beautiful

'You can be whatever size you are, and you can be beautiful both inside and out. We’re always told what’s beautiful and what’s not, and that’s not right.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On dreaming big

'It doesn’t matter what your background is or where you come from, if you have dreams and goals, that’s all that matters.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On forging her own future

'For me, it was a question of resilience. What others marked as flaws or disadvantages about myself – my race, my gender – I embraced as fuel for my success. I never let anything or anyone define me or my potential. I controlled my future.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On encouraging women to chase their aspirations

'Too often women are not supported enough or are discouraged from choosing their path. I hope together we can change that.'

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17 of Serena Williams’ most empowering quotes

On being strong

'I’m not a size two. It’s okay to look strong and to be sexy and to be a woman and to be unbreakable – all those things.'

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Throughout a tennis career spanning more than two decades, Serena Williams has become an inspiration to fans across the world both on and off the court.

Williams – who is only one Grand Slam win short of matching Margaret Court’s all-time record – is widely regarded as being one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

The athlete recently faced Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu in the final of the US Open, where she was supported by her close friend the Duchess of Sussex.

To mark Williams’ 38th birthday on Thursday 26 September, we have taken a look back at some of the tennis star’s most empowering statements.

Click through the gallery to read the former world number one’s quotes on feminism, determination and learning from defeat.

Serena Williams' powerful response to people who say she should 'stop fighting for equality and focus on tennis'

For all the latest news on Serena Williams, click here.

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