I did not want to be the best black man of the year; I wanted to be the best man of the year.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the desire to be recognized for one's overall character and achievements rather than being defined by race.
Daley Thompson's quote emphasizes the importance of being acknowledged for one's qualities and accomplishments as a person, rather than being limited or categorized by race. It speaks to a universal aspiration to achieve greatness and integrity that transcends racial boundaries, advocating for the recognition of individuals based on their merit and humanity.
In practice
This quote could be used in a motivational speech about overcoming societal barriers.
I was in the doldrums for a while after my athletics career ended in 1992. I spent six to eight hours a day training, for 18 years, and it took a long time to get over the regret that I wasn't competing in major championships any more. All I ever wanted to be was the best. But I find new projects and I keep things in perspective.
In sport, if you want to be the best you have to compete against the best - I would much rather have come tenth and be judged against everyone than come first and be judged against just a few.
Being a decathlete is like having ten girlfriends. You have to love them all, and you can't afford losing one.
I wouldn't swap the era I competed in for anything, not a day of it. I started out as an amateur, and people like myself, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, Tessa Sanderson and the rest did it for the glory of winning medals for our country.
Winners don't just learn the fundamentals, they master them. You have to monitor your fundamentals constantly because the only thing that changes will be your attention to them.
When I won the first Grammy, there was no other feeling like that feeling. It just made me feel like I came so far, like that was just a dream a few years before that, and then it was happening right then.
There is only one way to make a great deal of money; and that is in a business of your own.
Everyone said, 'Emil, you are a fool!' _x000D_ But when I first won the European Championship, they said: 'Emil, you are a genius!'
When I go in to see people - and I sell an occasional ad now - I never say, 'Help me because I am black' or 'Help me because I am a minority.' I always talk about what we can do for them.
I grew up in a working class family where there was no health insurance. I saw first hand the fracturing of the American dream and the bitterness that comes when there is no hope and a lot of despair. So I wanted to build the company, in a sense, that my father never got a chance to work for.
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