Snooker Quotes: 50 Quotes from Snooker Legends

Snooker remains one of the world’s most popular games, especially in the UK and China. Great players like Ronnie O’Sullivan, Steve Davis and Alex Higgins are known the world over.

We have put together a collection of quotes from some snooker greats. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Ronnie O'Sullivan

1. "The greatest buzz in snooker is to be on a 147. It's the ultimate."

2. "I'm as greedy as anyone. I want to be the best. I want to be the greatest of all time."

3. "I get a bit of a buzz from pushing my body to the limit."

4. "When you're in the zone, it's not thinkin'. It's happening on its own."

5. "My dad's a brilliant manager. He's one of a kind. He's a hustler."

6. "Snooker is just a game of angles and balls. That's all it is."

7. "Sometimes I think I am a genius, and sometimes I think I'm the biggest idiot on the planet."

8. "I'd rather be potting balls and winning tournaments than not."

9. "The most important thing, in anything you do, is to love what you're doing, because that's the only thing that will keep you going."

Stephen Hendry

1. "I wasn't the most talented player, but I was the most dedicated."

2. "Winning is not a sometimes thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit."

3. "My whole life was geared towards winning. If I didn't win, I was a failure."

4. "The first frame in a match is the most important. It sets the tone for the whole match."

5. "I'm a great believer that if you've got a chance to win a tournament, you've got to take it."

6. "Pressure is a privilege. It only comes to those who earn it."

Steve Davis

1. "Snooker is a game of chess with balls."

2. "The 1985 World Championship final was the most amazing match I've ever played. To lose on the final black was devastating, but it made me a better player."

3. "They're calling me 'interesting' now, which is a step up from 'boring'."

4. "You can't play snooker with a crossbow." (In response to a question about his 'boring' style).

5. "My desire to win is still the same. I'm not as good, but my desire is the same."

Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins

1. "I'm the people's champion."

2. "I'm a genius. I'm not a freak. I'm a genius."

3. "When I'm playing well, I'm a joy to watch. When I'm not, I'm a nightmare."

4. "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."

5. "The only person who can beat me is myself."

Jimmy 'The Whirlwind' White

1. "I'd love to win the World Championship. It's the one that's eluded me."

2. "If you can't be a good loser, then you're not a good winner."

3. "Snooker is a simple game, but it's a very difficult game to play well."

4. "I've had a great life, and I've got no regrets."

Ray Reardon

1. "Snooker is a game of patience and concentration. You can't rush it."

2. "The secret of snooker is to keep it simple."

3. "My philosophy was to get my opponent into a position where he was more likely to make a mistake than I was."

Mark Selby

1. "To win the World Championship is the pinnacle of any snooker player's career."

2. "I'm known as the 'Jester from Leicester', but when I'm at the table, I'm deadly serious."

3. "Mental toughness is just as important as ability in snooker."

Judd Trump

1. "I want to entertain people. I want to play a brand of snooker that's exciting to watch."

2. "My aim is to win as many tournaments as I can and be the best player in the world."

3. "I've always been confident in my own ability."

Dennis Taylor

1. "That was the best final I've ever seen, and I'm just glad I was part of it." (On the 1985 final).

2. "He's going for the reds, he's going for the blacks... he's even going for the pinks! He's playing with a lot of bottle, this boy!" (Commentary).

John Higgins

1. "It's a tough game, snooker. It's a mental battle more than anything else."

2. "To be a four-time world champion is something I'm immensely proud of."

Mark Williams

1. "I don't practise that much, to be honest. I just turn up and play."

2. "I thought my days of winning big tournaments were over, so to win another World Championship is unbelievable."

Other Snooker Legends

1. Joe Davis: "The game of snooker is a gentleman's game, and it should be played in a gentlemanly manner."

2. Terry Griffiths: "The balls don't know who's hitting them."

3. Willie Thorne: "It's all about the three Cs: concentration, confidence, and control."

4. Cliff Thorburn: "The first man to make a 147 at the Crucible – that's a moment no one can ever take away from me."

5. John Parrott: "In snooker, you're on your own. It's a lonely sport."

6. Shaun Murphy: "There is no finer feeling than walking out at the Crucible Theatre. It is the pinnacle of the sport."