“I don’t want to win unless I know I’ve done my best and the only way I know to do that is to run out front, flat out, until I have nothing left. That’s why I can beat anyone I’ve ever met.” I can endure more pain than anyone you’ve ever met. A little secret I learned a long time ago, in Coos Bay, in the woods. There’s a dozen guys on the team with more talent in their little finger. “The race is not about just running to win but also seeing how far you can push yourself and others.” “The best pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die! The best way to live is when you are pushing yourself to the max.” Always make sure that the easy route is never through you.” Everyone around you is looking for an easy way to get what they want. “No one will ever win a 5,000 meter by running an easy two miles. When you get to the point in a race or in life where you want to stop, you have to think about that goal that you want to achieve, and it will give you the strength to push a bit harder.” You think, ‘Why I should do this? I don’t have to run this hard.’ But that’s when I think about them. I’ve thought about the Olympic Games every day of my life since 1968, but there is a breaking point in each race when you wonder if all the sacrifice is worth it. If anybody wants to beat me, let them run a world record.” No matter how hard you want it, somebody will want it more. No matter how hard you run, somebody will run harder. “No matter how hard you train, somebody will train harder. “Why shouldn’t I do what I want to do? I’m an American citizen.” It makes it all worthwhile, all the hours of hard work.” You get all this magnetic energy, people focusing on one thing at the same time. “When people go to a track meet, they’re looking for something, a world record, something that hasn’t been done before. “Every race I lose I learn from and get tougher.” “I have a positive mental attitude, and I think I’m divine, but I also think it takes a heck of a lot of blood, sweat and tears.” “If you can make money with your talents, why not?” “I guess you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.” You gave me everything I needed to prove you wrong.” “Kids made fun of me because I was a slow learner, because I was hyperactive, because of a lot of things. “I knew I had to show everybody that I could excel at something. When you dig deep and find that meaning, it adds depth to your life.” You could be running, driving a bus or answering phone calls and there can still be a deeper meaning for why it matters. “No matter what you do there is always more to it. It’s doing something better than anyone else. 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. I like to make something beautiful when I run. “Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. In the end, the feeling of satisfaction that you will have will be worth it.” You have to give yourself more reasons to keep going than you could ever come up with to stop. “When things get tough, you have to remember why you started putting in work in the first place. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.” Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. “You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. “You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.” “Don’t let fatigue make a coward of you.” “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” “If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” Your own mother. All I know, is that if you do believe in something, you tend to make people very, very nervous. I believe in myself.” “There’s always someone trying to talk you out of what you believe in. “Having a true faith is the most difficult thing in the world. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good for the great.” “Success isn’t how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started.” Talent will only take you so far, and by not providing a sincere effort, you are not taking advantage of the gift.” People often cheat themselves by giving less than their best. “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. Steve Prefontaine quotes: this mofo was a straight savage.
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