Bill Russell quotes

The only important statistic is the final score.
- Bill Russell

Success is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions. There is nothing miraculous about the process. There is no luck involved.
- Bill Russell

The magic to a great meeting is all of the work that's done beforehand.
- Bill Russell

Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them.
- Bill Russell

I don't have very many regrets, not because I lived a perfect life but because life is a bunch of rolling hills, not mountains, or speed bumps instead of stop signs, and so you come to a situation and it's neither good or bad, it just is, and what it means to you is what's your take on it. But the second part of the equation is what are you going to do about it. A lot of times I'm completely wrong, but all you do is back up and start over.
- Bill Russell

The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I’d made my teammates play.
- Bill Russell

Friendship is a full-time job.
- Bill Russell

Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
- Bill Russell

I've been fortunate to meet and work with a lot of really smart people. The thing that strikes me most about them is how they continue to explore and learn every day. I have tried to apply that approach in my modest career as well.”
- Bill Russell

You can do anything you want to do if you want it bad enough
- Bill Russell

Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.
- Bill Russell

Durability is part of what makes a great athlete.
- Bill Russell

The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.
- Bill Russell

My most prized possession was my library card from the Oakland Public Library.
- Bill Russell

The most important thing to me is the friends that I've made.
- Bill Russell

You got to have the killer instinct. If you do not have it, forget about basketball and go into social psychology or something. If you sometimes wonder if you've got it, you ain't got it. No pussycats, please.
- Bill Russell

To love someone is nothing, to be loved by someone is something, to love someone who loves you is everything.
- Bill Russell

Don't knock the ball in the stands, keep it in your hands!
- Bill Russell

We learn to make a shell for ourselves when we are young and then spend the rest of our lives hoping for someone to reach inside and touch us. Just touch us—anything more than that would be too much for us to bear.
- Bill Russell

What distinguishes a great player is his presence. When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.
- Bill Russell

After I played him for the first time, I said 'Let's see. He's four or five inches taller. He's 40 or 50 pounds heavier. His vertical leap is at least as good as mine. He can get up and down the floor as well as I can. And he's smart. The real problem with all this is I have to show up.
- Bill Russell