I'm a basketball player. That's what I do and what I love but that's just not all who I am. I'm talented in a lot of different areas.
Kevin DurantRead
I'm just trying to grow. That's one thing I told myself is, 'Don't worry about who people say is the best player'.
Interpretation
Focus on personal growth rather than comparisons with others.
In this quote, Kevin Durant emphasizes the importance of self-improvement over seeking external validation or worrying about others' opinions. He encourages a mindset of personal growth, suggesting that one's journey should be about becoming the best version of oneself rather than striving to live up to someone else's standards.
In practice
During a motivational speech at a sports camp to inspire young athletes.
I'm a basketball player. That's what I do and what I love but that's just not all who I am. I'm talented in a lot of different areas.
I was the second-best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I've been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the Finals. I'm tired of being second. I'm not going to settle for that. I'm done with it.
My mother taught me to always be strong and always work hard. She's been working hard her whole life for me and my brother. I'm a lot like her in that I work hard for what I want. She taught me that.
Set the goal and work all days for it, until you achieve, I want to be a champion, the best!
A big market is something that doesn't really concern me too much. It's cool to think about, it's good for off-the-court deals. But I'm more of a basketball player. That's what I want to be known as. And this is the best place for me to play basketball. I'm glad I'm here.
You sacrificed for us - you're the real MVP.
The most important investment you can make is in yourself. Very few people get anything like their potential horsepower translated into the actual horsepower of their output in life. Potential exceeds realization for many people...The best asset is your own self. You can become to an enormous degree the person you want to be.
When you raise your opinion of yourself and what you are capable of it has a decided influence on what you do.
Of course there are moments that you wonder how long you should be doing it because there are other aspects which are not nice, of this lifestyle. But I just love winning.
There are no shortcuts. I approached practices the same way I approached games. You can't turn it on and off like a faucet. I couldn't dog it during practice and then, when I needed that extra push late in the game, expect it to be there. Very few people get anywhere by taking shortcuts.
We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.
You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There's still lots of good in the world. Tell Dally. I don't think he knows.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.