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.

The triumph can't be had without the struggle.

But when you come from a large, wonderful family, there's always a way to achieve your goals.

Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.

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

I don't consciously try to be a role model, so I don't know if I am or not. That's for other people to decide.