Sometimes you have to give yourself a break.

People aren't winning Slams at 21 anymore. It's later.

I loved dance, but tennis felt more natural to me. Dance did help with my rhythm and balance.

I try to live in the moment and not overthink things because then you start putting yourself in situations that you don't want to be in pressure-wise.

A lot of people just assume men's tennis is better.

I make a little goal every day and work toward achieving it - even if it's the smallest little thing.

On those days when you don't want to get up, I think, I'm going to get through my entire practice without saying how tired I am or I try not to complain just because I was in a bad mood when I woke up. Even if it's not perfect and I slip up, I can catch myself and make myself of aware of where my mental space is at and move on.

I enjoy lifting weights more than I enjoy getting on the treadmill to run.

I've always loved Charleston. It's always been one of my favorite tournaments.

People always look shocked when I tell them the Cincinnati Open is one of my favorite tournaments.

You can get eight thousand great, amazing messages, and someone will send you one thing that you're maybe self-conscious about, and that's the only thing in your head for the rest of the day.

I have one of those bodies that is just a little more injury-prone.

I'm really lucky to have Lindsay Davenport as my coach. She was number one in the world, and she's won Grand Slams, so if there's any person who can help me get through, it's her. Getting her advice is very special for me.

I expect a lot for myself.

When people say that American tennis is dead and things like that, you kind of take it a little personal.

Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another.

Be strong, believe in freedom and in God, love yourself, understand your sexuality, have a sense of humor, masturbate, don't judge people by their religion, color or sexual habits, love life and your family.

I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.

I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams.

One thing I've learned is that I'm not the owner of my talent; I'm the manager of it.

When I'm hungry, I eat. When I'm thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it.

I know I'm not the greatest singer or dancer, but that doesn't interest me. I'm interested in being provocative and pushing people's buttons.

I want to be like Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, and John Lennon... but I want to stay alive.

With all the chaos, pain and suffering in the world, the fact that my adoption of a child from who was living in an orphanage, you know, was the number one story for a week in the world. To me, that says more about our inability to focus on the real problems.

I'm tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want.

Growing up, I didn't feel cool; I didn't fit into any crowd.

I go to Malawi twice a year. It's where two of my children were adopted from, and I have a lot of projects there that I go and check up on and children who I look after. It's sort of a commitment that I've made to this country and the hundreds of thousands of children there who have been orphaned by AIDS.

I like to change. A new lamp, a piece of art, can transform a room.

I'm guilty of eating Magnum bars before I go to sleep at night.

Catholicism is not a soothing religion. It's a painful religion. We're all gluttons for punishment.

I didn't have many friends; I might not have had any friends. But it all turned out good in the end, because when you aren't popular and you don't have a social life, it gives you more time to focus on your future.

Obviously, I feel a great sense of responsibility being a good parent and raising my children. I don't take that job very lightly. Who they are, what they become and what they contribute to the world is very important to me.

I think my biggest flaw is my insecurity. I'm terribly insecure. I'm plagued with insecurities 24/7.

I really saw myself as the quintessential Cinderella. I think that's when I really thought about how I wanted to do something else and get away from all that.

I've never really lived a conventional life, so I think it's quite foolish for me or anyone else to start thinking that I am going to start making conventional choices.

I'm always looking for something new: a new inspiration, a new philosophy, a new way to look at something, new talent.

I live - I live a highly scheduled life. There's absolutely no time wasted. I'm very focused. And I have a great assistant.

I wouldn't live in Chicago cause it's too conservative, aside for the fact that Oprah Winfrey lives there.

When I went to Africa, I was reduced to floods of tears every day.

I believe that we are at a very low level of consciousness, and we do not know how to treat each other as human beings. We are caught up in our own lives, our own needs, our own ego gratification. I feel a strong sense of responsibility in delivering that message.

I just find the people I want to work with and put it all together, and it's a lot of hard work, and all kinds of catastrophes happen, but I don't really get too much resistance. But when you make a movie, it seems like there's nothing but resistance. It's kind of a miracle that any movie ever gets made.

I am the result of the good choices I've made and the bad choices.

I refuse to act the way someone expects me to.

I'm ambitious. But if I weren't as talented as I am ambitious, I would be a gross monstrosity.

My father was very strong. I don't agree with a lot of the ways he brought me up. I don't agree with a lot of his values, but he did have a lot of integrity, and if he told us not to do something, he didn't do it either.

Sometimes you want to go for a walk and you don't want to be watched. You just want to be anonymous and blend in. Especially when I travel, I feel that way, because I can't really go out and see a city the way other people can and I miss out on a lot.

I always felt like I was a freak when I was growing up and that there was something wrong with me because I couldn't fit in anywhere.

In England especially, I've found that if you bring up King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson at a dinner party or a social gathering, it's like throwing a Molotov cocktail into the room.

I was named after my mother. And I guess when I started making records, Madonna Ciccone seemed too long and complicated, and I just got stuck with Madonna.

I'm a showgirl. After 20 years in show business, I've learned to roll with the punches.