My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.

I would be disappointed if I were remembered as a runner because I feelthat my contribution to the youth of America has far exceeded the woman who was the Olympic champion.

I know black women in Tennessee who have worked all their lives, from the time they were twelve years old to the day they died. These women don't listen to the women's liberation rhetoric because they know that it's nothing but a bunch of white women who had certain life-styles and who want to change those life-styles.

When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.

It doesn't matter what you're trying to accomplish. It's all a matter of discipline. I was determined to discover what life held for me beyond the inner-city streets.

I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I'm competing with is me.

Sometimes it takes years to really grasp what has happened to your life.