I did not want to be the best black man of the year; I wanted to be the best man of the year.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the desire to be recognized for one's overall character and achievements rather than being defined by race.
Daley Thompson's quote emphasizes the importance of being acknowledged for one's qualities and accomplishments as a person, rather than being limited or categorized by race. It speaks to a universal aspiration to achieve greatness and integrity that transcends racial boundaries, advocating for the recognition of individuals based on their merit and humanity.
In practice
This quote could be used in a motivational speech about overcoming societal barriers.
I was in the doldrums for a while after my athletics career ended in 1992. I spent six to eight hours a day training, for 18 years, and it took a long time to get over the regret that I wasn't competing in major championships any more. All I ever wanted to be was the best. But I find new projects and I keep things in perspective.
In sport, if you want to be the best you have to compete against the best - I would much rather have come tenth and be judged against everyone than come first and be judged against just a few.
Being a decathlete is like having ten girlfriends. You have to love them all, and you can't afford losing one.
I wouldn't swap the era I competed in for anything, not a day of it. I started out as an amateur, and people like myself, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, Tessa Sanderson and the rest did it for the glory of winning medals for our country.
I learned in my Ph.D. the discipline I needed to be successful. Most boxers are not that disciplined. They have talent, but the self-organization - the ability to schedule yourself and your priorities - is lacking. My studies were about the control of training on both the psychological and the physical side.
With 300 million people in America, you can fail to impress 299 million of them and still go platinum.
Great players never look in the mirror and think I'm a great basketball player. You ask yourself, Am I the best player I can be?
If we dispense with some of our self-made boundaries, India can really take its place in the world as an economic power. It hasn't happened because we, sadly, don't look at ourselves as Indians but as Punjabis or Parsis, unlike the Americans. Don't make such boundaries.
My whole career strategy has been to build a base so that I could take the roles I want to play. I'd hate to think that a shorter part might not be available because I was worried about my billing.
Not even a collapsing world looks dark to a man who is about to make his fortune.
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