Joe Louis and I were the first modern national sports figures who were black... But neither of us could do national advertising because the South wouldn't buy it. That was the social stigma we lived under. — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad… — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping. — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I could not… — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
Joe Louis and I were the first modern national sports figures who were black... But neither of us could do national advertising because the… — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
The secret is, first, get a thoroughbred horse because they are the most nervous animals on earth. Then get the biggest gun you can… — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it's close — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard. The thrill of competing carries with it… — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
To a sprinter, the hundred-yard dash is over in three seconds, not nine or ten. The first 'second' is when you come out of the blocks. The next is when you look up and take your first few strides to attain gain position. By that time the race is actually about half over. The final 'second' - the longest slice… — Jesse Owens Copy Share
It dawned on me with blinding brightness. I realized: I had jumped into another rare kind of stratosphere - one that only a handful… — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast… — Jesse Owens Copy Share Image
