Quotes By Carl Lewis

Every New Year's Eve, I have a pact to do something I never thought I'd do. So I created this list. You have to free your mind to do things you wouldn't think of doing. Don't ever say no.

I tell you, it was kind of two-fold. I fortunately had a lot of support. My coach was amazing - he told me to focus on being prepared and that is what I did. Every athlete is nervous - any athlete who tells you they're not nervous isn't telling you the truth. I was as prepared as I could be.

I'm very serious about becoming a dramatic actor. I don't want to play cameo parts walking on as Carl Lewis the athlete. I want to go on stage or screen and be taken seriously.

You can't live your life through your children.

'm so fortunate to have done what I love to do for so long, but the day I retired was one of the best days of my life. Not because I was happy to get away from the sport, but because it was clear in my mind that I had done all I possibly could, and that it was time to go.

I'm not a coach and I know it. I'm too busy and it doesn't pay. I'm expensive. But I would always advise.

Life is about timing.

I don't feel I'm qualified to be a coach outside the high school level. I think I would need to do more education to really be a good coach.

I know there are a lot of people out there who have the best intentions but not the voice, so it's about people like me to give them a voice and hear their ideas.

When I run - as you see from my record - I run to win.

At the end of the day, if you're a professional athlete in track and field you are the CEO of your company.

People have always thought of me as being something, but I'm just a human being like everyone else.

Amateurism is the strongest form of discrimination in sports. Because it discriminates against the underprivileged, it discriminates against the poor. If we want sports to go back to the wealthy, let's make it amateur again.

I work with the Carl Lewis Foundation focusing on youth from high school down.

An athlete and actor are really two different temperaments, night and day. As an athlete you really keep things out and as an actor you really bring things in.

I'm not running for state Senate because I wanted to become a politician. I'm running because I wanted to serve.

Our message of the day is service does not need a title.