“The only tatics I admire are do-or-die”

“It is the inspiration of the Olympic Games that drives people not only to compete but to improve, and to bring lasting spiritual and moral benefits to the athlete and inspiration to those lucky enough to witness the athletic dedication.”

“Poetry, music, forests, oceans, solitude--they were what developed enormous spiritual strength. I came to realize that spirit, as much or more than physical conditioning, had to be stored up before a race.”

“You and I do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.”

“One day if I do go to heaven...I'll look around and say, 'It ain't bad, but it ain't San Francisco.”

“The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever.”

“Of all the components of the ecosystem, humans are the only ones we know to be completely optional.”