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

What I want is to be number one.

No matter how hard you train, Somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, Somebody will run harder. No matter how hard you want it, Somebody will want it more, I am Somebody.

A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding.

Every once in a while I think, ‘What am I doing out here running, busting myself up? Life could be so much easier. The other guys are out having fun, doing other things, why not me?’

Having a true faith is the most difficult thing in the world. Many will try to take it from you.

You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. 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.

What I like most about track is the feeling I get after a good run.

You said I was weak. You said I couldn’t do it. Thank you. You gave me everything I needed to prove you wrong.

Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run.

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.

I don’t just go out there and run. I like to give people watching something exciting.

You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.

Nobody likes tainted victories.

I like to make something beautiful when I run … it’s style. It’s doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.

Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it.

I can endure more pain then anyone you’ve met. That’s why I win, because I can endure more pain.

The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.

Every now and then I hear voices in my head, but not very clear. I can’t understand what they are saying. It’s a mental illness. I have been diagnosed as a manic depressive.

I am not a public speaker and never will be.

Your inner voice is the voice of divinity. To hear it, we need to be in solitude, even in crowded places.

I get off on hearing other people’s voices. I like voices: they’re my favourite things on records.

I was so shy and so quiet, and the only time I had my own voice and I could really connect with people was when I was singing or on stage.

Women should not let anybody take them for a ride. If they face such things, they should talk about it.

Experience has taught me to tell the difference between a man that wants to tame me, mute my voice and claim me, and a man that is bold enough to let me be free.