The athlete of today is not an athlete alone. He's the center of a team - doctors, scientists, coaches, agents and so on.

To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. And if I can beat it that means there is nothing special about it. What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.

Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem.

I was not talented enough to run and smile at the same time

It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.

Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater.

You can't climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don't fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitterness. Try for a goal that's reasonable, and then gradually raise it.