I wanted to be the best in the world and at 12 years-old I…

“The amateur doesn't appreciate the need for experimentation. He wants his experts to know.”

— B.F. Skinner

A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…

— James Agate

My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…

— Ciaran Hinds

I did a musical when I was 17, an amateur show, and I loved it.

— Taron Egerton

Every artist was first an amateur.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”

— Alan Sheinwald

I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…

— Ernie Els

I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.

— Chelsea Cain

Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…

— Marshall McLuhan

You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…

— Dan Jenkins

Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…

— Keegan Bradley

Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.

— Joe Calzaghe

“Amateur: One reckless enough to risk being interesting.”

— David Barringer

Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…

— Rickie Fowler

When people buy, rescue, or otherwise acquire a dog from unscrupulous breeders or amateur rescue groups, they are making a decision with ethical consequences.…

— Jon Katz