Quotes by Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes is an Australian former professional Australian rules football player and Indigenous rights activist. Goodes was a two-time Brownlow Medalist and a four-time All-Australian player, and was widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. However, his career was marred by racist abuse and controversy, which led to his early retirement from the sport in 2015. Since then, Goodes has become a vocal advocate for Indigenous rights and reconciliation, and has worked to raise awareness about the impact of racism on individuals and communities. (Bio)
Adam Goodes Quotes
1. "The football field was a place where I could express myself and just be me. Play the game as well as you can and that's what you're judged on. Not the colour of your skin, or your beliefs, or the conversation you have around racism."
2. "I'm not afraid of confrontation. It doesn't have to be an argument. We all have a voice. And they are all worth listening to."
3. "Growing up, I knew I was different. But I didn't know what it meant to be Aboriginal. I just knew that I had a really big, extended family. I was taught nothing about who we were or where we came from."
4. "You know obviously my stand on racism is that it's unacceptable and that we should always stand up to it."
5. "When I retired I was done and it was instant relief. Instant."
6. "Football, for me, was a place where I got accepted for being a good footballer."
7. "My mum taught me to treat people the way I want to be treated."
8. "For me it's about supporting our Indigenous kids and completing that whole journey: early childhood, primary school, high school, university and then career. I want to be a part of that process all the way, wearing lots of different hats."
9. "What I've seen, and the reactions from 'The Final Quarter' and 'The Australian Dream', is that a lot more people are more willing to share their stories around racism."
10. "Yeah you just have to be true to yourself, know where you come from, make sure that your relationships with family members back in country, back home, are really strong so that connection is always there."
11. "So for me, you can't control the media, you have to work with media to get your message out there and you just hope that there's enough good honest reporting and people in the media that can get that job done."
12. "I grew up playing soccer and it's definitely my first love."
13. "As a kid we moved around a fair bit as a family. It was difficult to make friends but sport helped. Once people saw you kick a football it broke down barriers. Instead of being the new skinny black kid you were the kid everyone wanted on their team."
14. "I just figured that, for me to get the best out of myself and do the right thing by myself, I really just needed to step away and find out what I really wanted to do and hopefully getting back to where my people are from and getting out bush could really re-energise me and help heal those wounds."
15. "The support of my mother has made such a difference in my life, sacrificing everything to make sure that we went to school, did our homework, got an education. That was one person supporting me, and it takes more than one person in our community to help raise our children."
16. "I play over-35s soccer on the weekend to get my fix of running into people and crashing and bashing, and I still have that desire to win in the sport that I play. I don't think that'll ever lose me."
17. "Because women are more than the people who raise our children, they are fantastic leaders in their own rights in our community, and we want to give them the same safe environment, as we would expect."
18. "Adam Goodes stood up to racism at a time when the necessary support structures were not in place. What could you do to stand up to racism and help stop it at your school or in wider society?"
19. "I used to be ashamed of who I was because of what other people thought about me... But when you learn about your culture... you start being proud of who you are."
20. "Racism is a community issue which we all need to address... And it's not until we do address it as a collective group that we're going end racism."
21. "I'm very proud of who I am and where I come from."
22. "I think education is key because it also gives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people pride in their identity."
23. "I think the biggest thing for me is to be a role model for my community, for young Indigenous kids."
24. "I think the best thing about playing AFL football is that it's indigenous."
25. "I think the most important thing that I can do as an Aboriginal person is to be proud of who I am and where I come from."
― Adam Goodes Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
