Bill Bowerman Quotes

“The athlete makes himself, the coach doesn't make the athlete.”

“The real purpose of running isn't to win a race, it's to test the limits of the human heart.”

“It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.”

“If you have a body, you are an athlete!”

“If at the end of a race you know yourself that you have done your best, you're a winner.”

“There is no bad weather, just soft runners.”

“The idea that the harder you work, the better you're going to be is just garbage. The greatest improvement is made by the man or woman who works most intelligently.”

“Everything you need is already inside.”

“Victory is in having done your best. If you've done your best, you've won.”

“A shoe must be three things: it must be light, comfortable and it's got to go the distance.”

“Take a primitive organism, any weak, pitiful organism. Say a freshman. Make it lift, or jump, or run. Let it rest. What happens? A little miracle. It gets a little better. It gets a little stronger or faster or more enduring. That's all training is. Stress, recover, improve.”

“God determines how fast you're going to run; I can only help with mechanics.”

“A lot of people are afraid of dying. Well, they might as well recognize it's going to happen. Me? I'm well beyond the average age, so every day is a bonus, and I'm grateful for it. People go around weeping and wailing because they got old. Why? If you can't do anything about it, I don't see any reason to get excited about it.”

“He was for so many of us a hero, leader, and most of all teacher. My sadness at his passing is beyond words.”

“The greatest improvement is made by the man who works most intelligently.”