Steve Prefontaine

“If he's having a good day and running the right race, nobody can beat Frank Shorter at 10,000 meters... nobody except me.”

“I know places you better speak low if you've been to college. Men will come across the room and cold-deck you if you hold your glass wrong.”

“I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it.”

“I have a positive mental attitude, and I think I'm divine, but I also think it takes a heck of a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”

“Something inside of me just said 'Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him,' and I just took off.”

“I used to say, 'Hey, man, what kind of a stupid question is that?' to a newspaperman asking me heavy things right after a race when I'm still in an emotional state. Now I at least try to ans...”

“It's hard to run a mile when you're not a miler and to kick when you've led all the way.”

“Kids made fun of me because I was a slow learner, because I was hyperactive, because of a lot of things. Running gave me confidence.”

“For me, running against the Poles and Czechs would be like running against high school kids. And I hate all this gung-ho, run-for-the-red-white-and-blue attitude that the AAU spouts. If that...”

“Did you ever run behind a slow pack? You get a trailing wind and a lot of body odor.”

“I've been in international competition, and now I know what the big boys can do. You don't go out and just run. There's an offense and a defense.”

“You probably choose x-country because you were too small to play football.”

“I'm the one who has made all the sacrifices. Those are my American records, not the country's.”

“Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.”

“Nobody likes tainted victories.”

“If anybody wants to beat me, let them run a world record.”