i had a series of childhood illnesses... scarlet fever.... pneumonia.... Polio. I walked with braces until I was at least nine years old. My life wasn't like the average person who grew up and decided to enter the world of sports.

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I knew that whatever I set my mind to do. I could do.

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Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.

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The triumph can't be had without the struggle.

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I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I'm competing with is me.

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The feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of me, three Olympic gold medals. I knew that was something nobody could ever take away from me, ever.

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My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces.

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i thought I'd never get to see that. Florence Griffith Joyner -- every time she ran, I ran.

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But when you come from a large, wonderful family, there's always a way to achieve your goals.

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I know black women in Tennessee who have worked all their lives, from the time they were twelve years old to the day they died. These women don't listen to the women's liberation rhetoric because they know that it's nothing but a bunch of white women who had certain life-styles and who want to change those life-styles.

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