jesse owens

“ We'd get into these little towns and tell 'em to get out the fastest guy in town, and Jesse Owens would spot him ten yards and beat him. ”

“ People come out to see you perform and you've got to give them the best you have within you. ”

“ A lifetime of training for just ten seconds. ”

“ Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. ”

“ It's like having a pet dog for a long time. You get attached to it, and when it dies, you miss it. ”

“ The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that's where it's at. ”

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

“ Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust. ”

“ I let my feet spend as little time on the ground as possible. From the air, fast down, and from the ground, fast up. ”

“ Joe, Louis and I were the first modern national sports figures who were black. ”