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I never competed against athletes. I competed against perfection.

Carl Lewis

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Carl Lewis
Age: 63
Born: 1961
Born: July 1
Athletics Competitor
Long Jumper
Poet
Sprinter
Track And Field Athlete
Birmingham
Alabama
Frederick Carlton Carl Lewis
Athletes
Athlete
Perfection
Never
Competed

More quotes by Carl Lewis

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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.
Carl Lewis
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I wouldn't be surprised if one day Carl's halo slipped and choked him.
Carl Lewis
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I'm a businessman and actor and I still make appearances.
Carl Lewis
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You can't live your life through your children.
Carl Lewis
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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.
Carl Lewis
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I want to be a millionaire, and I don't ever want a real job.
Carl Lewis
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My best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan diet.
Carl Lewis
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By carrying the torch, you will be bridging cultural and social barriers, and all the boundaries that separate nation from nation.
Carl Lewis
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I found the emotion that as an athlete you block out, and it really helped me to understand myself as a person. I'm a really emotional person and it helped make me a better person.
Carl Lewis
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I work with the Carl Lewis Foundation focusing on youth from high school down.
Carl Lewis
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Track and field is the best way to reach out for kids. It doesn't matter how fast you are. You always want to beat someone.
Carl Lewis
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I always separated sports and my personal life.
Carl Lewis
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Life is about timing and overcoming difficult things.
Carl Lewis
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I'm a fast learner. I may not run as fast as I used to, but I think I still learn as fast.
Carl Lewis
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It's all about the journey, not the outcome.
Carl Lewis
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Scientists have proven that it's impossible to long-jump 30 feet, but I don't listen to that kind of talk. Thoughts like that have a way of sinking into your feet.
Carl Lewis
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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.
Carl Lewis
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Join me in the final race to smash poverty and achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals
Carl Lewis
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You're not going to get a chance to vote for me on the ballot, but you can actually vote for what I believe in.
Carl Lewis
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'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.
Carl Lewis