Walter Payton

There were high school coaches such as Charles Boston that took me under his wing and taught me the fundamentals of football. And when I went to college there was Robert Hill who took me there and he showed me what hard work and determination would do if you put forth the effort and you take a little time.

No matter what the game was or how much older and stronger the other kids were, we were taught to give it everything we had until it was over. Never give less than one hundred percent.

I try to run on the hottest days, at the hottest time, because that's the most difficult time. And sometimes I worry about drying out, and dying.

During the off-season when you see other people playing in the Super Bowl, you wonder, and you say to yourself, 'Are you ever gonna get there and see what it feels like?' And it pushes you a little bit harder during that off-season to work to try to get there the following year.

I don't have to jump up and smile just because TV wants me to.

If I'm going to get hit, why let the guy who's going to hit me get the easiest and best shot? I explode into the guy who's trying to tackle me.

God's been very good to me. I'm truly blessed.

I developed my training routine going into my senior year at Jackson State. I found this sandbank by the Pearl River near my hometown, Columbia, Miss. I laid out a course of 65 yards or so. Sixty-five yards on sand is like 120 on turf, but running on sand helps you make your cuts at full speed.

Money isn't everything. Do you get married because of money? Do you have kids because of money?

I wanted to be a professional drummer.

All people, regardless of whether they're athletes or not, should treat people the way they want to be treated.

You look at a Pete Rose to be the terrific athlete he is and then he falls on hard times, but when he played the game, I got something from the way he played the game because he hustled every play, and just because he had one mistake in his life, am I supposed to throw back everything that I gained from him?

When you speak of role models, when we talk to our kids, everybody is a role model, everyone, just as you look at a Michael Jordan to be the terrific athlete he is.

Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one.

I want to be remembered like Pete Rose. 'Charlie Hustle.' I want people to say, 'Wherever he was, he was always giving it his all.'

What is poor? We had food. We dressed well. We didn't have a lot, but what we had fit, and it was always neat.

Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It's okay to lose, to die, but don't die without trying, without giving it your best.

Growing up, we played sports nonstop. I mean every single day. As soon I got done with breakfast, I was ready to go.

If you start something, you shouldn't quit; that is what we were taught. If you're going to play, you might as well play to be your best.

Most important thought, if you love someone, tell him or her, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.

I always thought, 'That's just the way you do it.' You work as hard as you can for as long as you can, and the small gains you make will eventually pay off.

If you could go back and change things, you might not be the person you are right now.

You have to take things one day at a time.

Running alone is the toughest. You get to the point where you have to keep pushing yourself.

I am happy to say that everyone that I have met in my life, I have gained something from them; be it negative or positive, it has enforced and reinforced my life in some aspect.