Black women . . . work because their husbands can't make enough money at their jobs to keep everything going. . . . They don't go to work to find fulfillment, or adventure, or glamour and romance, like so many white women think they are doing. Black women work out of necessity.

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When I was going through my transition of being famous, I tried to ask God, why was I here? What was my purpose? Surely, it wasn't just to win three gold medals. There has to be more to this life than that.

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

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My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.

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Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.

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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.

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When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.

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I would be disappointed if I were remembered as a runner because I feelthat my contribution to the youth of America has far exceeded the woman who was the Olympic champion

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I don't consciously try to be a role model, so I don't know if I am or not. That's for other people to decide.

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I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.

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