What I do on court is great, but what really matters is what happens off court, the people who you affect.
Coco GauffRead
Throughout my life, I was always the youngest to do things, which added hype that I didn't want. It added this pressure that I needed to do well fast.
Interpretation
Coco Gauff reflects on the pressures and expectations that come with being young and successful.
In this quote, Coco Gauff expresses the challenges she faced growing up as a young achiever in competitive environments. The 'hype' that surrounded her success came with added pressure to perform quickly and meet high expectations, highlighting how youth can be a double-edged sword in the pursuit of excellence and fulfillment.
In practice
Coco Gauff's quote serves as a great reminder for young athletes during a motivational speech at a sports camp.
What I do on court is great, but what really matters is what happens off court, the people who you affect.
Everyone asks me how I stay calm on court and I think it's because I accepted who I am after overcoming low points in my life.
The amount of people - and kids especially - that come up to me saying I inspire them is honestly better than any match I could win, just to know that I inspire another kid maybe to pick up a racquet or go through something they're facing at school.
There's so many people going through so many, like, uncomfortable situations. For me to be - I mean, obviously being nervous is natural - but for me to think that winning a tennis match or losing a tennis match is the end of the world, I think just kind of shows what kind of privilege I have.
It's important for us to know that our worth isn't defined by how well we do in our sport.
If you are choosing silence, you're choosing the side of the oppressor.
Failure is a reality; we all fail at times, and it's painful when we do. But it's better to fail while striving for something wonderful, challenging, adventurous, and uncertain than to say, " I don't want to try because I may not succeed completely.
Rejection is part of the process, so you can't let it crush you. My first three novels never made it into publication, but my fourth, 'Sheltering Rain,' was translated into 11 languages.
Just remember--if you are really and truly determined to work with animals, somehow, either now or later, you will find a way to do it. But you have to want it desperately, work hard, take advantage of an opportunity--and never give up.
You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?
I do not believe that every person, in every walk of life, can succeed in spite of any handicap. That would be perfection. But I do believe that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us (no matter how slowly) the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today; and perhaps the greatness of tomorrow.
Come hell or high water you will never take me back to the place I was before. I have been through too much to let life whoop me again. My faith is stronger than it's ever been, my mind is more tenacious than it's ever been, my soul is more absolute.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.