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

Try for a goal that's reasonable, then gradually raise it.

Men, today we die a little.

Why should I practice running slow? I already know how to run slow. I want to learn to run fast.

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.

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.

When I was young, I was too slow. I thought I must learn to run fast by practicing to run fast, so I ran 100 meters fast 20 times. Then I came back, slow,slow,slow. People said, 'Emil, you are crazy. You are training like a sprinter.'