I'm the one who has made all the sacrifices. Those are my American records, not the country's.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes personal sacrifice and ownership of one's achievements.
In this quote, Steve Prefontaine expresses a profound sense of individual dedication and the personal sacrifices he has made in his athletic career. He asserts that his records and accomplishments are a reflection of his hard work and commitment, rather than merely a product of the broader American culture or society. This highlights the importance of individual effort in achieving success and the personal journey that accompanies it.
In practice
This quote can inspire athletes to recognize their hard work.
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?
The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die.
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 dumb down for my audience and double my dollars...
My wife determined that my genius should prevail, and that my final success as an ornithologist should be triumphant.
Winning does not always mean coming in first...real victory is in arriving at the finish line with no regrets because you know you've gone all out.
One of my great breaks is I have only done work I wanted to do.
"And my father didn't have money for me to go to college. And at that particular time they didn't have black quarterbacks, and I don't think I could have made it in basketball, because I was only 5β² 11". So I just picked baseball."
It would have been great to have had 10 victories and been in the playoffs and have gone all the way and then said, 'Goodbye,' but it didn't work out that way.
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