It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it's close

He was constantly on me about the job that I was to do and the responsibility that I had upon the campus. And how I must be able to carry myself because people were looking.

Life doesn't give you all the practice races you need.

I realized now that militancy in the best sense of the word was the only answer where the black man was concerned, that any black man who wasn't a militant in 1970 was either blind or a coward.

I always loved running.... It was something you could do by yourself and under your own power.

We used to have a lot of fun. We never had any problems. We always ate. The fact that we didn't have steak? Who had steak?

In the end, it's extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more that that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together, and even if you don't win, how can you lose?