Steve Prefontaine

Born :25 January 1951

Tribute :30 May 1975

American19511975

Steve Prefontaine born on 25th January 1951, and passed away on 30th May 1975, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire generations. Over the past 24 years, we have thoughtfully curated a selection of 20 powerful, inspirational, and motivational quotes - carefully handpicked from an extensive archive of life lessons and timeless wisdom. This legendary quote writer was born in american and went on to share won inspiring words with the world, leaving behind a global legacy that transcends borders.

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Quotes of Steve Prefontaine

Timeless words and powerful thoughts from Steve Prefontaine - discover the wisdom, inspiration, and voice behind the quotes that continue to resonate

A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they're capable of understanding.

My philosophy is that I'm an artist. I perform an art not with a paint brush or a camera. I perform with bodily movement. Instead of exhibiting my art in a museum or a book or on canvas, I exhibit my art in front of the multitudes.

Nobody likes tainted victories.

Kids made fun of me because I was a slow learner, because I was hyperactive, because of a lot of things. Running gave me confidence.

Every once in a while I think, 'What am I doing out here running, busting myself up? Life could be so much easier. The other guys are out having fun, doing other things, why not me?'

When people go to a track meet, they're looking for something, a world record, something that hasn't been done before. You get all this magnetic energy, people focusing on one thing at the same time. I really get excited about it. It makes me want to compete even more. It makes it all worthwhile, all the hours of hard work.

No one will ever win a 5,000-meter by running an easy two miles. Not against me.

I've been in international competition, and now I know what the big boys can do. You don't go out and just run. There's an offense and a defense.

If he's having a good day and running the right race, nobody can beat Frank Shorter at 10,000 meters... nobody except me.

Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.

Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative.

I run to see who has the most guts.

Something inside of me just said 'Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him,' and I just took off.

You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.