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. Michael Johnson absolutedisappointexpect Change image and share on social
I had already been into my professional career for six years and had not won an individual gold medal at the Olympics. There was a tremendous amount of pressure going into 1996 to get it done. Michael Johnson amountcareergold Change image and share on social
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. Michael Johnson athletebelievedescend Change image and share on social
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. Michael Johnson athleteaveragebreak share on social
They think because I'm small, they can do what they want to do to me. But I'm not weak. If I lower my shoulder and they lower they're shoulder, they're going to go down. Michael Johnson lowshouldersmall Change image and share on social
There's a complete difference between training for a specific event and goal and just training. Michael Johnson completedifferenceevent Change image and share on social
Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter; long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best. Michael Johnson comparehardlife share on social
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. Michael Johnson athletecompetitioncontrol Change image and share on social
They don't give you gold medals for beating somebody. They give you gold medals for beating everybody. Michael Johnson beatgivegold Change image and share on social
Opting for gold shoes could have been considered downright cocky, but I was confident and never doubted my ability to deliver gold medals to match my shimmering footwear. Michael Johnson abilitycockyconfident Change image and share on social