--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Arthur Ashe plays tennis, his…" description: "\"When Arthur Ashe plays tennis, his purpose each day is to play the game in a way he has never played it before. It may be a backhand he uses, one that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/edwin-land-7636_action_when-arthur-ashe-plays-tennis-his-purpos_589733.jpg" --- # When Arthur Ashe plays tennis, his purpose each day is to… ![“When Arthur Ashe plays tennis, his purpose each day is to play the game in a way he has never played it before. It may be a backhand he uses, one that he may never have used before in that circumstance. His play is a fresh integration of his world at the instant of action. A really great scientist…” quote by Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/edwin-land-7636_action_when-arthur-ashe-plays-tennis-his-purpos_589733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/edwin-land-7636_action_when-arthur-ashe-plays-tennis-his-purpos_589733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/edwin-land-7636_action_when-arthur-ashe-plays-tennis-his-purpos_589733.jpg) > “When Arthur Ashe plays tennis, his purpose each day is to play the game in a way he has never played it before. It may be a backhand he uses, one that he may never have used before in that circumstance. His play is a fresh integration of his world at the instant of action. A really great scientist has the whole past at his disposal. At any instant he is rebuilding the world, molecule by molecule, in his subconscious. That is what you want in an athlete or a scientist.” [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote urges continual renewal, encouraging athletes and scientists to approach each moment with fresh perspective and creativity, using past knowledge to reinvent actions. **In simple terms:** Keep reinventing yourself each moment. Key Takeaway Embrace novelty and adapt constantly. Themes innovation creativity growth mindset Mood inspired reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - sports training - research labs - problem solving - creative projects Key Concepts continuous learning experimentation improvisation Questions to Reflect On - How can you break routine to discover new approaches? - What past experiences can you recombine today? A Different Perspective May become stuck in habitual patterns despite knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Each day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/each-day/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Great scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-scientist/) [Integration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integration/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Rebuilding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebuilding/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Subconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subconscious/) [Tennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennis/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [When I was younger, I was a robot. Wind her up and she plays tennis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-evert/when-i-was-younger-i-was-a-robot-wind-her-up-and-she-plays-tennis/) [Chris Evert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-evert/) > [Technically he is perfect and he plays so naturally, almost without effort. It's like when Roger Federer plays tennis, he barely sweats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicente-del-bosque/technically-he-is-perfect-and-he-plays-so-naturally-almost-without/) [Vicente del Bosque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicente-del-bosque/) > [I like the uniqueness and creativity you can have on a basketball court; there's always a different way to score. Obviously, you have teammates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-kyrgios/i-like-the-uniqueness-and-creativity-you-can-have-on-a-basketball/) [Nick Kyrgios](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-kyrgios/) > [Andrea Jaeger plays tennis like she's double-parked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-carillo/andrea-jaeger-plays-tennis-like-she-s-double-parked/) [Mary Carillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-carillo/) > [Jimmy Connors plays two tennis matches and winds up with $850,000, and Muhammad Ali fights for one bout and winds up with five million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-bench/jimmy-connors-plays-two-tennis-matches-and-winds-up-with-850-000-and/) [Johnny Bench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-bench/) > [I'm a girl who plays tennis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-gauff/i-m-a-girl-who-plays-tennis/) [Coco Gauff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-gauff/) > [The crowds at the U.S. Open are so passionate! In Arthur Ashe especially, their energy is electric, and I've had matches where they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aryna-sabalenka/the-crowds-at-the-u-s-open-are-so-passionate-in-arthur-ashe/) [Aryna Sabalenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aryna-sabalenka/) > [I met Arthur Ashe a few times. I know how important education was to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlyn-jenner/i-met-arthur-ashe-a-few-times-i-know-how-important-education-was-to/) [Caitlyn Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlyn-jenner/) > [I always dreamed of playing a night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It's a dream come true for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-shapovalov/i-always-dreamed-of-playing-a-night-match-on-arthur-ashe-stadium-it-s/) [Denis Shapovalov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-shapovalov/) > [On Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va., there are statues of five Confederate luminaries and then, incongruously in this company, one of Arthur Ashe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/on-monument-avenue-in-richmond-va-there-are-statues-of-five/) [Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/) > [And I'm going to work as hard as I can... for cancer research and hopefully, maybe, we'll have some cures and some breakthroughs. I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-valvano/and-i-m-going-to-work-as-hard-as-i-can-for-cancer-research-and/) [Jim Valvano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-valvano/) > [Mr. Arthur Ashe, he was good. I read some of his books. He knew about everything, but he was real quiet and didn't talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/mr-arthur-ashe-he-was-good-i-read-some-of-his-books-he-knew-about/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [I used to have a poster of Arthur Ashe in my room. To play in his stadium is fabulous. It has a special meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-monfils/i-used-to-have-a-poster-of-arthur-ashe-in-my-room-to-play-in-his/) [Gael Monfils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-monfils/) > [Both Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King used these phrases ("playing out of one's mind," or "over one's head") to describe their performances while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gallwey/both-arthur-ashe-and-billie-jean-king-used-these-phrases-playing-out/) [Timothy Gallwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gallwey/) > [It's always an honor to play on Arthur Ashe stadium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-monfils/it-s-always-an-honor-to-play-on-arthur-ashe-stadium/) [Gael Monfils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-monfils/) ## More by Edwin Land > [We have to keep in practice like musicians. Besides, there are still potentialities to be realized in color film. To us, it's just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/we-have-to-keep-in-practice-like-musicians-besides-there-are-still/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [It only takes a day to change someone from an anti-intellectual to an intellectual by persuading him that he might be one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/it-only-takes-a-day-to-change-someone-from-an-anti-intellectual-to-an/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Don't do anything that someone else can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/don-t-do-anything-that-someone-else-can-do/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The present is the past biting into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-present-is-the-past-biting-into-the-future/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The world belongs to the articulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-world-belongs-to-the-articulate/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Why do I want to believe what I believe?... Science, to put it somewhat vulgarly, is a technique to keep yourself from kidding yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/why-do-i-want-to-believe-what-i-believe-science-to-put-it-somewhat/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Who can object to a monopoly when any new company, if it is built around a scientific nucleus, can create a new monopoly of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/who-can-object-to-a-monopoly-when-any-new-company-if-it-is-built/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [I believe that each young person is different from any other who has ever lived, as different as his fingerprints: that he could bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-believe-that-each-young-person-is-different-from-any-other-who-has/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [There is no such thing as group originality, group creativity or group perspicacity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/there-is-no-such-thing-as-group-originality-group-creativity-or-group/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A significant invention must be startling, unexpected. It must come to a world that is not prepared for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/a-significant-invention-must-be-startling-unexpected-it-must-come-to/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [I believe quite simply that the small company of the future will be as much a research organization as it is a manufacturing company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-believe-quite-simply-that-the-small-company-of-the-future-will-be/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A premature attempt to explain something that thrills you will destroy your perceptivity rather than increase it, because your tendency will be to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/a-premature-attempt-to-explain-something-that-thrills-you-will/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A significant inventionmust be startling, unexpected. It must come to a world that is not prepared for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/a-significant-inventionmust-be-startling-unexpected-it-must-come-to-a/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The world is like a fertile field that's waiting to be harvested. The seeds have been planted, and what I do is go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-world-is-like-a-fertile-field-that-s-waiting-to-be-harvested-the/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The most important thing about power is to make sure you don't have to use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-most-important-thing-about-power-is-to-make-sure-you-don-t-have/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) [Explore all 89 Edwin Land quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) [Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When Arthur Ashe plays tennis, his purpose each day is to play the game in a way he has never played it before. 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