Everyone said, 'Emil, you are a fool!' But when I first won the European Championship, they said: 'Emil, you are a genius!'.

Men, today we die a little..

My running was very simple; it was out of myself..

I was not talented enough to run and smile at the same time.

I was unable to walk for a whole week after that, so much did the race take out of me. But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known..

It is not necessary to smile and make a wonderful impression on the judges..

If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter. I am tire….

There is a great advantage in training under unfavorable conditions. It is better to train under bad conditions, for the difference is then a tremend….

You can't climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don't fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitternes….

A runner must run with dreams in his heart..

Try for a goal that's reasonable, then gradually raise it..

By a persistent effort of will it is possible to change the whole body. The athlete must always keep in mind this concept of change and progression. ….

One day the factory sports coach, who was very strict, pointed at four boys, including me, and ordered us to run in a race. I protested that I was we….

What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come..

If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon..

If you come to think of it, you never see deer, dogs and rabbits worrying about their menus and yet they run much faster than humans..

When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed….

Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater..

Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem..

When I was young, I was too slow. I thought I must learn to run fast by practicing to run fast, so I ran 100 meters fast 20 times. Then I came back, ….

An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head..