If You Don't Try To Win You

People Say That It Was Degrading For An Olympic Champion To Run Against A Horse, But What Was I Supposed To Do? I Had Four Gold Medals, But You Can't Eat Four Gold Medals. There Was No Television, No Big Advertising, No Endorsements Then. Not For A Black Man, Anyway.

Championships Are Mythical. The Real Champions Are Those Who Live Through What They Are Taught In Their Homes And Churches. The Attitude That 'we've Got To Win' In Sports Must Be Changed. Teach Your Youngsters, Who Are The Future Hope Of America, The Importance Of Love, Respect, Dedication, Determination, Self-sacrifice, Self-discipline And Good Attitude. That's The Road Up The Ladder To The Championships.

Friendships Born On The Field Of Athletic Strife Are The Real Gold Of Competition. Awards Become Corroded, Friends Gather No Dust.

A Lifetime Of Training For Just Ten Seconds.

Joe Louis And I Were The First Modern National Sports Figures Who Were Black... But Neither Of Us Could Do National Advertising Because The South Wouldn't Buy It. That Was The Social Stigma We Lived Under.