Quotes from Kobe Bryant

You always have to be on edge. You always have to take every practice, every game, like it is your last.

I realize now that there's a strength in dunking that I can use to my advantage. When you dunk all the time it isn't as demoralizing to the opponent, but when you dunk at a key moment in the game you can use it to change the momentum.

I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I'm like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don't have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self-doubt. You don't deny it, but you also don't capitulate to it. You embrace it.

I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.

I draw from the crowd a lot.

I'm more than comfortable just sitting back and scoring 21, 22 points or whatever and getting 10, 11 assists whatever the case might be. More than comfortable with that. It's just a matter of the pieces that you have around you and what you can do to elevate everybody else.

I have my own identity ... The whole Michael thing does drive me nuts sometimes because people won't leave it alone. He's bald, I have hair. He's almost 40, I'm 22. Seriously though, I wish people would let it be and let me just be Kobe.

I create my own path. It was straight and narrow. I looked at it this way: you were either in my way, or out of it.

The motivation for me is just the game itself, just playing the game the right way and trying to win, compete every time I step out there on the floor. That's motivation enough for me to go out there and play well.

Everyone looks at your watch and it represents who you are, your values and your personal style.

The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.

Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.