52 Quotes by Emil Zatopek

I was unable to walk for a whole week after that, so much did the race take out of me. But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known.

Men, today we die a little.

If you come to think of it, you never see deer, dogs and rabbits worrying about their menus and yet they run much faster than humans.

By a persistent effort of will it is possible to change the whole body. The athlete must always keep in mind this concept of change and progression. He must never accept his limitations as being permanent, because they are not.

I was not talented enough to run and smile at the same time

When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter either. Then willpower will be no problem.

A runner must run with dreams in his heart.

It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.

If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It’s raining? That doesn’t matter. I am tired? That’s besides the point. It’s simply that I just have to.