If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard. The thrill of competing carries with it the thrill of a gold medal. One wants to win to prove himself the best.
Jesse OwensRead
The road to the Olympics, leads to no city, no country. It goes far beyond New York or Moscow, ancient Greece or Nazi Germany. The road to the Olympics leads — in the end — to the best within us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The journey of pursuing excellence in sports transcends geographic locations and ultimately reveals our true potential.
Jesse Owens reflects on the essence of the Olympic journey, emphasizing that it is not confined to any particular place or historical context. Instead, he suggests that the true significance of the Olympics lies in the personal development and inner strength attained through the pursuit of greatness, culminating in the discovery of the best version of ourselves.
Themes
OlympicsExcellencePotentialSelf-DiscoveryJourney
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech emphasizing hard work, I said, 'The road to the Olympics leads — in the end — to the best within us.'
More from Jesse Owens
All quotes →A lifetime of training for just ten seconds.
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In the end, it's extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more that that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together, and even if you don't win, how can you lose?
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When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I could not ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. Now what's the difference?
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I wanted no part of politics. And I wasn't in Berlin to compete against any one athlete. The purpose of the Olympics, anyway, was to do your best. As I'd learned long ago from Charles Riley, the only victory that counts is the one over yourself.
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Only by God?s grace have I made it to see today and only by God?s grace will I ever see tomorrow.
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