Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.

— Bill Russell

I tried to treat them like me and some of them weren't.

— Bill Russell

Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them.

— Bill Russell

We learn to make a shell for ourselves when we are young and then spend the rest of our lives hoping for someone to reach inside and touch us. Just touch us—anything more than that would be too much for us to bear.

— Bill Russell

What's more important than who's going to be the first black manager is who's going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times.

— Bill Russell