Tennis legend Arthur Ashe was more than just an athlete: he was a performer on the court, an inspirational leader, and showed the kind of ferocity and determination that lingers long after life is gone. He fought for civil rights here and abroad, created a foundation to fill healthcare gaps in urban areas, and although he died at the early age of 49, his life was crammed full of achievement and meaningful endeavor. 
He was a doer, and this quote sums up that basic truth. We cannot wait to react to our lives. We cannot get stuck because it doesn’t match some imagined model.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
— Arthur Ashe
The Art of Doing: How Superachievers Do What They Do and How They Do It So Well
Publisher’s description: How does anyone get to the top of their field? We all know it takes hard work, dedication, and the occasional dose of luck, but what separates a wannabe from a winner? The Art of Doing brings together an incredible cross-section of individuals who are the at the top of their respective fields, from actor Alec Baldwin to New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz, to and asks them each one question: how do you succeed at what you do? The advice that they share is illuminating, and occasionally surprising, providing their top ten strategies on how to achieve greatness in a variety of ways. Click here
This is part of a weekly inspirational series on the Singerpreneur blog and social media for Lauri’s List. The 2015 quotes are also archived on Facebook and Pearltrees.
Aw, shucks. One of the basic lessons of living with quotations is that nothing is truly original. Whether he knew it or not, Ashe was expressing the same point as Teddy Roosevelt: “Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” (We like Ashe’s version better.) Any other attributions? 🙂