Quotes By Haile Gebrselassie

When you promise something, you must fulfill it.

My school was six miles away from where I lived on the farm. I had to walk and run, there and back every day, through gorges and over rivers. If I was late, there was a very big stick waiting for me.

I'm lucky. The best possible place in the world for training is Addis Ababa, so I am home all the time except when I am racing. I like to be there, near my family, my kids, also the real estate business I run with my wife.

I can't change everything by myself but I can be one of the people who are trying to change the situation.

If you are a really good marathoner, you have to run New York.

If I don't train enough, of course I'm nervous.

You lose the speed before the stamina.

I was the kind of child who worked hard every day with the cows and sheep - I was a very aggressive boy.

I remember in particular my first victory when I achieved a very fast time in what were perfect conditions but since then the wind has always been a factor against me.

At the moment I am a little bit politician, yes. I think that could be my next step. It is not because I want power, it is because of what I think I could do for the people.

At the end of the day, people want to see how fast you run.

The more you are getting older, you lose a little something. Of course there is another advantage, because of your long experience you can use it.

I haven't done a marathon for a long time. So we'll see. I will need good luck.

I wanted to be famous. I wanted people to talk about me.

In the rainy season, sometimes to get to the first lesson we had to run really quick, because we had to cross the river to school and we'd have to go up and down the bank to find a place to cross because there is no bridge.

Age for me is just a number.

I think if you come first with a new world record, that is the best.

I will always listen to my coaches. But first I listen to my body. If what they tell me suits my body, great. If my body doesn't feel good with what they say, then always my body comes first.

I love running and I will always run.

For me a day without training is like a day without eating.

What is important is to win.

If you're planning only to make money and nothing else, you'll be broke.

I have to change a lot of things before I become a good marathon runner.

I always tell young athletes the same thing, 'Wherever you go, whatever you do, what must your top priority be? Running.'

In my life I do a lot of things but I never forget my training.

This hand is not very active always, because it was in this hand that I carried my books. My carrying hand was always my strongest. Now I think my other hand has developed more muscles from signing all those autographs.

I have seen things few of my countrymen have. The first time I went on an aeroplane I couldn't work out how the lavatories worked up in the sky.

You know, I want to help my country. Definitely I can help them, simply by winning races. Sure, they can follow my path to a good career. But for me it is not enough. I want to be more than that. In everything I want to be a role model.

I'm a runner first before anything else.

Once you have commitment, you need the discipline and hard work to get you there.