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

I was unable to walk for a whole week after that, so much did the race take out of me. But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known.

An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.

Men, today we die a little.

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

There is a great advantage in training under unfavorable conditions. It is better to train under bad conditions, for the difference is then a tremendous relief in a race.

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.'