Steve Prefontaine Quotes

What I want is to be number one.

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

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?'

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

When people go to a track meet, they're looking for something, a world record, something that hasn't been done before. You get all this magnetic energy, people focusing on one thing at the same time. I really get excited about it. It makes me want to compete even more. It makes it all worthwhile, all the hours of hard work.

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.

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.

How does a kid from Coos Bay, with one leg longer than the other win races? All my life people have been telling me, 'You're too small Pre', 'You're not fast enough Pre', 'Give up your foolish dream Steve'. But they forgot something, I HAVE TO WIN.

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

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.

If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.

The idea of losing the three at Hayward Field and the idea of losing my specialty to someone who wasn't running his specialty. Mostly, the idea of losing in front of my people. They haven't forgotten about me.

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

The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die.

A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.

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.

No one will ever win a 5,000-meter by running an easy two miles. Not against me.

PRE. For your dedication and loyalty to your principles and beliefs. For your love,warmth and friendship. For your family and friends. You are missed by so many and you will never be forgotten.

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

If you can't win your race, make sure the guy ahead of you breaks the record.

My philosophy is that I'm an artist. I perform an art not with a paint brush or a camera. I perform with bodily movement. Instead of exhibiting my art in a museum or a book or on canvas, I exhibit my art in front of the multitudes.

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.

A race is a work of art.

I run to see who has the most guts.

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

As far as being a coach, it's always fascinated me. It's a greater responsibility than most people give it credit for because you're dealing with people.

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