How could you look more stupid than to be the guy accepting a bronze medal in gold shoes?

Your problems pale in comparison with those of the millions of people in the world who do not have enough to eat.

All my life I believed I became an athlete through my own determination, but it's impossible to think that being descended from slaves hasn't left an imprint through the generations.

Rivalries don't necessarily mean races being close at major championships. I had a rivalry with Butch Reynolds for many years. I won all the races, but Butch was the world record holder before I came into the sport, he was extremely talented and he was the only other man running 43 seconds.

The basis of self-discipline: Don't allow the edges to blur.

You owe it to yourself to find your own unorthodox way of succeeding, or sometimes, just surviving.

Opting for gold shoes could have been considered downright cocky, but I was confident and never doubted my ability to deliver gold medals to match my shimmering footwear.