If I faltered, there would be no arms to hold me and the world would be a cold and forbidding place. Roger Bannister More Quotes by Roger Bannister More Quotes From Roger Bannister The man who goes on, even when it's the hardest to be the winner. Roger Bannister goes-onlossmen If a man coaches himself, then he has only himself to blame when he is beaten. Roger Bannister blamerunningmen It's amazing that more people have climbed Mount Everest than have broken the 4-minute mile. Roger Bannister climbing-mount-everestbrokenpeople I was always a great bundle of energy. As a child, instead of walking, I would run. And so running, which is a pain to a lot of people, was always a pleasure to me because it was so easy. Roger Bannister runningsportschildren I raced supremely well. I felt I was as well fitted to do it as I had ever been, and as perhaps I might ever be. I went climbing three weeks before, because I was feeling fed up with running. Roger Bannister athleterunningsports If there was the opportunity to climb a mountain, or to go ballooning, or some adventurous activity, I would always be keen to do it. I loved the countryside. Roger Bannister athleteopportunitysports I came from such a simple origin, without any great privilege, and I would say I also wanted to make a mark. It wasn't until I was about 15 that I appeared in a race. Roger Bannister athletesimplesports I wanted to be a neurologist. That seemed to be the most difficult, most intriguing, and the most important aspect of medicine, which had links with psychology, aggression, behavior, and human affairs. Roger Bannister medicineathletesports Mothers, unless they were very poor, didn't work. Both of my parents had to leave education. My mother had to work in a cotton mill until 18 or 19, when she took some training in domestic science. Roger Bannister athletemothersports Life was very simple. My parents had come from the North of England, which is a fairly rugged, bleak, hard-working part of England, and so there was not the expectation of luxury. Roger Bannister hard-workathletesports I lived on the top of one hill and the school was at the top of another hill. Nobody ever went to school by car - we didn't have any cars during the war. So that to and from school was itself a training. Roger Bannister athletesportswar May is a very early time in the year and the weather is usually bad. You cannot run a fast mile race if there is a strong wind, because it makes your running uneven. Roger Bannister strongathleterunning I found longer races boring. I found the mile just perfect. Roger Bannister raceathleteperfect My concentration was really on getting to university and becoming a doctor. My parents let me know that school marks were important. Achievement was something which came by hard work. Roger Bannister hard-workathletesports I was involved in music, acting, and some running, but my firm wish was to become a doctor. That was the formative age when I had decided on the pattern of my career. Roger Bannister doctorsathleterunning My athleticism was really the core to social acceptance, because in those days the overwhelming number of students came from more of a public school background than I did. Roger Bannister athletesportsschool The mile has all the elements of a drama. Roger Bannister elementsrunningdrama When I was about to break a world record and become well known, my mother used to say that for her the important thing was for me to become a doctor - a career which had not been possible in her generation and in her society. Sport was something to be set aside. Roger Bannister athletemothersports You get very tired, and there was a certain amount of pain and you slow up. Your legs are so tired that you are in fact slowing. If you don't keep running, keep your blood circulating, the muscles stop pumping the blood back and you get dizzy. Roger Bannister painrunningsports I think that is a universal adolescent feeling, trying to find your place. The adolescent who is perfectly adjusted to his environment, I've yet to meet. Roger Bannister athletefeelingsthinking
