The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die.
Interpretation
Push your limits to achieve greatness, even if it feels risky.
Steve Prefontaine's quote embodies the idea of embracing intensity and commitment to one's goals. It suggests that to reach the pinnacle of performance, one must be willing to push beyond comfort zones, often at great personal risk, as true breakthroughs can only be achieved when one is willing to confront their limits head-on.
In practice
In a motivational speech to athletes before a competition.
How does a kid from Coos Bay, with one leg longer than the other win races? All my life people have been telling me, 'You're too small Pre', 'You're not fast enough Pre', 'Give up your foolish dream Steve'. But they forgot something, I HAVE TO WIN.
The AAU doesn't care about the athletes; why should I care about them?
Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative.
This is my last year at Oregon, and it means a lot to me. The people have been great to me up there, so if I have to run three races to win the Pac-8 title, I'll do it. Oh, sure, I'll probably be tired, but the people shouting will carry me across the finish line.
World records at 19. I don't want that. Later, yes. And when it comes, I'll learn to live with it, but it won't be my first love.
I'm the one who has made all the sacrifices. Those are my American records, not the country's.
The beginning don't matter. The end don't matter. All that matters is what you do in between...the greatest reward is to know that you did your job when you were here on the planet.
After I failed to win the Most Valuable Player Award in 1960, I made up my mind I'd win the batting title in 1961 for the first time.
Your mind is a powerful thing. When you filter it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change.
By nature, I keep moving, man. My theory is, be the shark. You've just got to keep moving. You can't stop.
Our problem is not that we don't have power, so much as that we tend to not use the power we have.
Too many people hold a very narrow view of what motivates us. They believe that the only way to get us moving is with the jab of a stick or the promise of a carrot. But if you look at over 50 years of research on motivation, or simply scrutinize your own behavior, it's pretty clear human beings are more complicated than that.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.