"If I stop chasing victory, I don't simply lose the race-I lose the marrow of my being. To relinquish the pursuit is to admit that every wound, every sleepless night, every drop of sweat was meaningless. And I would sooner bleed myself dry in the arena than live as a monument to wasted effort."

"Since I've been able to think, there was a nagging feeling, like an itch you couldn't scratch, I wanted to fight the strongest."