Quotes from Open

Andre Agassi ·  388 pages

Rating: (56.7K votes)


“It's no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature. Even the structure of tennis, the way the pieces fit inside one another like Russian nesting dolls, mimics the structure of our days. Points become games become sets become tournaments, and it's all so tightly connected that any point can become the turning point. It reminds me of the way seconds become minutes become hours, and any hour can be our finest. Or darkest. It's our choice.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“Remember this. Hold on to this. This is the only perfection there is, the perfection of helping others. This is the only thing we can do that has any lasting meaning. This is why we're here. To make each other feel safe.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“Only boxers can understand the loneliness of tennis players - and yet boxers have their corner men and managers. Even a boxer's opponent provides a kind of companionship, someone he can grapple with and grunt at. In tennis you stand face-to-face with the enemy, trade blows with him, but never touch him or talk to him, or anyone else. The rules forbid a tennis player from even talking to his coach while on the court. People sometimes mention the track-and-field runner as a comparably lonely figure, but I have to laugh. At least the runner can feel and smell his opponents. They're inches away. In tennis you're on an island. Of all the games men and women play, tennis is the closest to solitary confinement....”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“Now that I've won a slam, I know something very few people on earth are permitted to know. A win doesn't feel as good as a loss feels bad, and the good feeling doesn't last long as the bad. Not even close.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“There are many ways of getting strong, sometimes talking is the best way.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open



“What you feel doesn’t matter in the end; it’s what you do that makes you brave.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“Life will throw everything but the kitchen sink in your path, and then it will throw the kitchen sink. It's your job to avoid the obstacles. If you let them stop you or distract you, you're not doing your job, and failing to do your job will cause regrets that paralyze you more than a bad back.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“To be inspired - that's the secret.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“There’s a lot of good waiting for you on the other side of tired. Get yourself tired..”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“Even if it’s not your ideal life, you can always choose it. No matter what your life is, choosing it changes everything.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open



“Big dreams, are so damn tiring.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“Andre, I won't ever try to change you, because I've never tried to change anybody. If I could change somebody, I'd change myself. But I know I can give you structure and a blueprint to achieve what you want. There's a difference between a plow horse and a racehorse. You don;t treat them the same. You hear all this talk about treating people equally, and I'm not sure equal means the same. As far as I'm concerned, you're a racehorse, and I'll always treat you accordingly. I'll be firm, but fair. I'll lead, never push. I'm not one of those people who expresses or articulates feelings very well, but from now on, just know this: It's on, man. It is on. You know what I'm saying? We're in a fight, and you can count on me until the last man is standing. Somewhere up there is a star with your name on it. I might not be able to help you find it, but I've got pretty strong shoulders, and you can stand on my shoulders while you're looking for that star. You hear? For as long as you want. Stand on my shoulders and reach, man. Reach.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“How lovely it is to dream while you are awake.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“This is why we’re here. To fight through the pain and, when possible, to relieve the pain of others. So simple. So hard to see.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“I tell the players: You'll hear a lot of applause in your life, fellas, but none will mean more to you than that applause-from your peers. I hope each of you hears that at the end.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open



“Older people make this mistake all the time with younger people, treating them as a finished product when in fact they are in process.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“Few of us are granted the grace to know ourselves, and until we do, maybe the best we can do is be consistent.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“Walking to the net, I'm certain that I've lost to the better man, the Everest of the next generation. I pity the young players who will have to contend with him. I feel for the man who is fated to play Agassi to his Sampras. Though I don't mention Pete by name, I have him uppermost in my mind when I tell reporters: It's real simple. Most people have weaknesses. Federer has none.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“How beautiful to dream. But dreams, I tell Gil, in one of our quiet moments are so damned tiring.
He laughs.
I can't promise you that you won't be tired, he says. But please know this. There's a lot of good waiting for you on the other side of tired. Get yourself tired, Andre. That's where you're going to know yourself. On the other side of tired.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“I slide to my knees and say, "Please let this be over." Then, I'm not ready for it to be over.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open



“When you chase perfection, when you make perfection the ultimate goal, do you know what you’re doing? You’re chasing something that doesn’t exist. You’re making everyone around you miserable.
You’re making yourself miserable. Perfection? There’s about five times a year you wake up perfect, when you can’t lose to anybody, but it’s not those five times a year that make a tennis player. Or a human being, for that matter. It’s the other times. It’s all about your head, man.
-Brad Gilbert”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“... в коридорите на болниците разбираме какво означава животът.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“great things begin at the end of the comfort zone. It is all about exploring the bleeding edge in your own time or with someone who will not judge you for it being beyond your comfort zone”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“I can’t promise you that you won’t be tired, he says. But please know this. There’s a lot of good waiting for you on the other side of tired. Get yourself tired, Andre. That’s where you’re going to know yourself. On the other side of tired.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“Quel che rende speciale qualcosa non è quel che si vince, ma quel che senti di poter perdere.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open



“I address the trophy and the warped reflection: All the pain and suffering you've caused me.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“we must all care for one another—this is our task in life. But also we must care for ourselves, which means we must be careful in our decisions, careful in our relationships, careful in our statements. We must manage our lives carefully, in order to avoid becoming victims.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“It's one of those showers that make you think you should write a check to several environmental groups – and maybe plant a tree.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


“We talk about things. We talk about nothing.”
― Andre Agassi, quote from Open


About the author

Andre Agassi
Born place: in Las Vegas, Nevada, The United States
Born date April 29, 1970
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