--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Disability is a matter of perception. If…" description: "\"Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone.\" — Martina Navratilova" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/martina-navratilova-3608_disability_disability-is-a-matter-of-perception-if_1497424.png" --- # Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just… ![“Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone.” quote by Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/martina-navratilova-3608_disability_disability-is-a-matter-of-perception-if_1497424.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/martina-navratilova-3608_disability_disability-is-a-matter-of-perception-if_1497424.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/martina-navratilova-3608_disability_disability-is-a-matter-of-perception-if_1497424.png) > “Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone.” [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perception defines disability; excelling in one skill makes one valuable to others. **In simple terms:** Focus on strengths to be needed. Key Takeaway Leverage your unique skill to help. Themes inclusion self‑esteem skill development Mood empowering optimistic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - employment - volunteering - team building Key Concepts ability theory social perception Questions to Reflect On - What skill can you improve to aid others? - How does perception affect opportunity? A Different Perspective Over‑specialization can limit adaptability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disability/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes a thing needed opening before closure was found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sometimes-a-thing-needed-opening-before-closure-was-found/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“In this world,” I kept whispering, “you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/in-this-world-i-kept-whispering-you-were-the-only-thing-i-had-but-you/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [Sometimes the only thing needed to be done is simply nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjames/sometimes-the-only-thing-needed-to-be-done-is-simply-nothing/) Bjames > [Homophobia's just one form of abjection, and wherever you have a marker of deviance - skin colour, gender, gender identity, disability - you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/homophobia-s-just-one-form-of-abjection-and-wherever-you-have-a/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“I wanted to share the realities of living with a disability since birth. My book is my attempt to promote increased inclusion and greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-torreno/i-wanted-to-share-the-realities-of-living-with-a-disability-since/) Stephanie Torreno > [We think we know what it's all about; we think that disability is a really simple thing, and we don't expect to see disabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/we-think-we-know-what-it-s-all-about-we-think-that-disability-is-a/) [Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/) > [When people say there are people who are faking it, if I had a choice I wouldn't want to have a disability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kadeena-cox/when-people-say-there-are-people-who-are-faking-it-if-i-had-a-choice/) [Kadeena Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kadeena-cox/) > [“He took the teapot and poured two cups. She was grateful. And also frustrated. Not being able to walk was annoying, and that emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/he-took-the-teapot-and-poured-two-cups-she-was-grateful-and-also/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [I love my disability. It is the best thing that ever happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-alcott/i-love-my-disability-it-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-me/) [Dylan Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-alcott/) > [I'm just a man on a mission, to prove my disability hasn't won](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hensel/i-m-just-a-man-on-a-mission-to-prove-my-disability-hasn-t-won/) [Robert M. Hensel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hensel/) > [“Every EDS patient knows that one of the hardest parts of our day is the moment we open our eyes and waken into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bihovsky/every-eds-patient-knows-that-one-of-the-hardest-parts-of-our-day-is/) [Michael Bihovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bihovsky/) > [“Consider this: the US economy created 2.4 million jobs in the three years beginning in June 2009. In the same period, 3.3 million Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/consider-this-the-us-economy-created-2-4-million-jobs-in-the-three/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [“She would prove to everyone she could do everything. She wouldn’t let her disability be an excuse, wouldn’t give anyone reason to pity her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-grace-davis/she-would-prove-to-everyone-she-could-do-everything-she-wouldn-t-let/) [Liz Grace Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-grace-davis/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) ## More by Martina Navratilova > [The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/the-moment-of-victory-is-much-too-short-to-live-for-that-and-nothing/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [Tennis is the purest form of democracy. There was a symbiotic, chicken-and-egg relationship for me between democracy and tennis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/tennis-is-the-purest-form-of-democracy-there-was-a-symbiotic-chicken/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [What I would tell girls coming up is just be yourself and don't let people get in the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/what-i-would-tell-girls-coming-up-is-just-be-yourself-and-don-t-let/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [You can't live in the past, there's nothing you can do about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/you-can-t-live-in-the-past-there-s-nothing-you-can-do-about-it/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [When one man becomes more important than the country he's supposed to be leading, this will always create a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/when-one-man-becomes-more-important-than-the-country-he-s-supposed-to/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [I am not looking for perfection. I look for the best in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/i-am-not-looking-for-perfection-i-look-for-the-best-in-me/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [I think the key is for women not to set any limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/i-think-the-key-is-for-women-not-to-set-any-limits/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [The better I get, the more I realize how much better I can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/the-better-i-get-the-more-i-realize-how-much-better-i-can-get/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [There was a joke in Czechoslovakia: The Communist Party dance, it's one step forward, two steps backward, and everyone is still clapping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/there-was-a-joke-in-czechoslovakia-the-communist-party-dance-it-s-one/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [The longer I stay in the States, the more I understand how important it is to smile and seem like a nice guy. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/the-longer-i-stay-in-the-states-the-more-i-understand-how-important/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path. Once you get on that path,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/just-put-one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-and-don-t-worry-about-the/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [I can teach many sports, but obviously, tennis is the one. When you do other sports, you see things from different perspectives: different footwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/i-can-teach-many-sports-but-obviously-tennis-is-the-one-when-you-do/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [Sport doesn't know barriers, really. You are judged on your performance... how far you can jump, how fast you can run, how well you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/sport-doesn-t-know-barriers-really-you-are-judged-on-your-performance/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/the-difference-between-involvement-and-commitment-is-like-ham-and/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [Just go out there and do what you've got to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/just-go-out-there-and-do-what-you-ve-got-to-do/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) [Explore all 126 Martina Navratilova quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) ## More Disability quotes > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“She would prove to everyone she could do everything. She wouldn’t let her disability be an excuse, wouldn’t give anyone reason to pity her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-grace-davis/she-would-prove-to-everyone-she-could-do-everything-she-wouldn-t-let/) [Liz Grace Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-grace-davis/) > [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [“Consider this: the US economy created 2.4 million jobs in the three years beginning in June 2009. In the same period, 3.3 million Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/consider-this-the-us-economy-created-2-4-million-jobs-in-the-three/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Every EDS patient knows that one of the hardest parts of our day is the moment we open our eyes and waken into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bihovsky/every-eds-patient-knows-that-one-of-the-hardest-parts-of-our-day-is/) [Michael Bihovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bihovsky/) > [I'm just a man on a mission, to prove my disability hasn't won](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hensel/i-m-just-a-man-on-a-mission-to-prove-my-disability-hasn-t-won/) [Robert M. Hensel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hensel/) > [I love my disability. It is the best thing that ever happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-alcott/i-love-my-disability-it-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-me/) [Dylan Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-alcott/) > [“He took the teapot and poured two cups. She was grateful. And also frustrated. Not being able to walk was annoying, and that emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/he-took-the-teapot-and-poured-two-cups-she-was-grateful-and-also/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [When people say there are people who are faking it, if I had a choice I wouldn't want to have a disability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kadeena-cox/when-people-say-there-are-people-who-are-faking-it-if-i-had-a-choice/) [Kadeena Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kadeena-cox/) > [We think we know what it's all about; we think that disability is a really simple thing, and we don't expect to see disabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/we-think-we-know-what-it-s-all-about-we-think-that-disability-is-a/) [Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/) > [“I wanted to share the realities of living with a disability since birth. My book is my attempt to promote increased inclusion and greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-torreno/i-wanted-to-share-the-realities-of-living-with-a-disability-since/) Stephanie Torreno > [Woman has so long been subject to the disabilities and restrictions with which her progress has been embarrassed that she has become enervated, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretia-mott/woman-has-so-long-been-subject-to-the-disabilities-and-restrictions/) [Lucretia Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretia-mott/) > [It feels amazing to be a role model for people with and without disabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-potter/it-feels-amazing-to-be-a-role-model-for-people-with-and-without/) [Lauren Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-potter/) > [I didn't know anything was wrong with me when I was growing up. I thought everyone went to occupational and speech therapy, I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-mitte/i-didn-t-know-anything-was-wrong-with-me-when-i-was-growing-up-i/) [RJ Mitte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rj-mitte/) > [Not really what you can do, others can either. Not really what you can't do, neither can others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voeun-tivea/not-really-what-you-can-do-others-can-either-not-really-what-you-can/) [Voeun Tivea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voeun-tivea/) [Browse all 829 Disability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Disability is a matter of perception. 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