That's what I wanted! I wanted to be an athlete, I wanted the girls to like me, and I wanted to be able to get good grades in school, and this man sa….

(On winning the 800 meters in front of the home fans) I was really excited to come back here. Of course you are always a little nervous because you n….

(On returning to Austin to run at his collegiate stadium) It is almost like coming home with the crowd, the people, and it just brings it home for me….

If you have a coach helping you, developing your skills alongside you, that's when you're on your way to becoming not just a participant but achievin….

Always work hard, never give up, and fight until the end because it's never really over until the whistle blows..

I don't believe my athletes care what I know, until they know that I care..

No athletes talk to themselves like tennis players. Pitchers, golfers, goalkeepers, they mutter to themselves, but tennis players talk to themselves-….

It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues..

There is no harmony between religion and science. When science was a child, religion sought to strangle it in the cradle. Now that science has attain….

Entertainers, athletes, and stars started giving me support..

When I finished the Boston race in 1967, there were two things I wanted to do. I wanted to become a better athlete because my first marathon was 4:20….

Boxing is a glorious sport to watch and boxers are incredible, heroic athletes, but it's also, to be honest, a stupid game to play. Even the winners ….

I think that was a moment of cool panic there..

I'm pretty proud of having completed a marathon myself, so I can only imagine the pride that real athletes feel when they are picked for the Olympic ….

Last year was a lifetime, a whole career in one season. We went from being the dregs to winners..

The problem with many athletes is they take themselves seriously and their sport lightly..

You have to have something to put your work in otherwise it's not valid.

What was most important to me at the Olympics was going out there and performing my best. When I messed up the first jump combination, which was my b….

My dad was a good athlete. My mom had longevity. There were some athletic genes that certainly got passed down..

I was a nerd academically. But I was also an athlete and a musician. I never wanted to be shut out of any situation. I think it was that more than an….

Many of the greatest black athletes of all time played baseball for no money and no recognition. I'm just sorry many major league fans never got to s….