24 Famous Quotes by Emil Zatopek
Emil Zatopek was a Czech long-distance runner who won multiple gold medals at the Olympic Games. He was known for his unconventional training methods, including running with weights and competing in multiple events at the same Games. Zatopek's grit and determination made him a beloved figure in the running world, and his legacy continues to inspire athletes to this day. He was a true underdog who overcame the odds to become one of the greatest runners of all time. (Emil Zatopek Biography).
Emil Zatopek Famous Quotes
1. "If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon."
2. "A runner must run with dreams in his heart, not money in his pocket."
3. "My running was very simple; it was out of myself."
4. "If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter. I am tired? That's besides the point. It's simply that I just have to."
5. "In my country, I am just a common man... a nobody."
6. "Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater."
7. "When I was young, I was too slow. I thought I must learn to run fast by practicing to run fast, so I ran 100 meters fast 20 times. Then I came back, slow, slow, slow."
8. "Men, today we die a little."
9. "If I run 100 meters 30 times, that is 3 kilometers and no longer a sprint."
10. "You can't climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don't fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitterness. Try for a goal that's reasonable, and then gradually raise it."
11. "There is a great advantage in training under unfavorable conditions. It is better to train under bad conditions, for the difference is then a tremendous relief in a race."
12. "You must be fast enough - you must have endurance. So you run fast for speed and repeat it many times for endurance."
13. "I had started as an average athlete - a normal boy. It took me three years to win a race. I was glad that I endured those three years - that I did not give up."
14. "The childhood games ended for me when I was 14 and I finished school. I had to find a job, not an easy thing in those days."
15. "It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys."
16. "Sometimes I feel that old desire. Then my body tells me it is 50 years old. I take the easy way instead."
17. "Why should I practice running slow? I already know how to run slow. I want to learn to run fast."
18. "An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head."
19. "To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. And if I can beat it that means there is nothing special about it. What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come."
20. "I will run with perfect style when they start judging races for their beauty, like figure-skating. For now, I just want to run as fast as possible."
21. "What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come."
22. "The athlete of today is not an athlete alone. He's the center of a team - doctors, scientists, coaches, agents and so on."
23. "We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."
24. "I'm not interested in how long I can hold out, but in how fast I can reach the finishing line."
― Emil Zatopek Quotes
* Want to explore more inspiring quotes and their meanings? Head over to my curated collection of elevating quotes.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
