Quotes from Michael Johnson

As an athlete, I'd average four hours a day. It doesn't sound like a lot when some people say they're training for 10 hours, but theirs includes lunch, massage and breaks. My four hours was packed with work.

As an athlete, I was never really comfortable with being a celebrity.

All my life I believed I became an athlete through my own determination, but it's impossible to think that being descended from slaves hasn't left an imprint through the generations. Difficult as it was to hear, slavery has benefited descendants like me - I believe there is a superior athletic gene in us.

Difficult as it was to hear, slavery has benefited descendants like me - I believe there is a superior athletic gene in us.

As strong as my legs are, it is my mind that has made me a champion.

You learn as much from those who have failed as from those who have succeeded.

The basis of self-discipline: Don't allow the edges to blur.

A good mentor offers directions and driving tips from the back seat. You still have to drive the car.

Examine the opportunities, the challenges you've given yourself.

You can make goals for family, relationships, anything.

You owe it to yourself to find your own unorthodox way of succeeding, or sometimes, just surviving.

A bird, music and food -desert island items

Don't shoot for something unattainable - completely outside of your nature or opportunity.

The only one who can beat me is me.

When you're gone I can go running though the house screaming and no one will ever hear me.

It is important that you strive for humility, but not humiliation, for a cool, level-headed confidence, not a stiff, delusional arrogance.

Your problems pale in comparison with those of the millions of people in the world who do not have enough to eat.

The only thing you can never change is your values.

Be who you are in every situation.

On the £20,000 Mercedes prizes for each winner at the World Athletics Championships in Stuttgart- Anyone good enough to win already has one.

How could you look more stupid than to be the guy accepting a bronze medal in gold shoes?

You can't control what the other athlete is going to do; you can't control anything except for your competition and how you execute the race or how you execute the task.

I've had to learn that not everybody does things my way. But I do expect the absolute best of everyone around me, and I'm disappointed when people don't expect that of themselves.

Along with trustworthiness, consistency is the thing to look for when you surround yourself with people who can help you on your quest.