The Quotable Stotan, 2018, Pt.1

Quotes, as I have written previously, are too often looked at and not given as much serious thought as they should. The ideal quote should inspire and/or inform. The following are a few selected quotes that deserve your consideration. After some of them I will offer a few comments.


Ted Williams from his autobiography:
"Nobody in the history of the game hit anymore balls in practice, pleasure or dead earnest than I did."
Ted is widely thought to be one of the greatest natural hitters of all time.
What I get from his comment is that no matter what the talent level you start with you must practice, practice, practice. Runners tend to think, "well, I did my mileage for today, I don't need to do anything else," Really? How about stretching sessions as well as lifting and other forms of strength conditioning?


Ultra marathon great Yiannis Kouros said this in an interview:
"I think an ideal life is a life with obstacles."
Probably seems like an absurd comment to many but to Stotans it makes perfect sense. With obstacles you confront, evaluate and overcome, thus becoming a better person for it.


Percy Cerutty from his book, Athletics: How To Become A Champion:
"To me it is of the greatest importance to concentrate on excelling in life rather than merely gaining (things)."
The quest for all things material is addicting, unending and ultimately not truly satisfying in the long term.


Athlete and writer Dave Draper:
"The secret is, there  is no secret."
That's right, to be a success in athletics requires persistence and time.
As Marty Liquori once said: "anyone who says there are secrets to athletic success is probably trying to sell you something."
We see the truth of his words by the multitude of books, websites, etc. promoting THE way.


It all comes down to the fundamentals, patience and time.