Milkha Singh

Every morning I would rise at the crack of dawn and after the usual ablutions, would get into my sports kit and dash off to the track, where I would run two or three miles cross-country, in the company of my coach.

— Milkha Singh

I want people to be passionate about their fitness. Everyone must take ten minutes of physical exercise daily at home or outside.

— Milkha Singh

It's painful to see that after Independence, India hasn't won a single Olympic medal in athletics.

— Milkha Singh

Our entire village of Gobindpur Kot had been massacred, as the elders had taken a collective decision not to convert to Islam as they had been asked to. Among those killed were my parents and two of my sisters. My elder brother survived; a sepoy in the British army, he was posted at Multan. Two of my other sisters were married and lived elsewhere.

— Milkha Singh

My most enduring memory of that year is not the birth of India and Pakistan. I could not even comprehend what was happening. As a teenager from a backward village in Pakistan, I had never seen a cycle, car or train. I was completely bewildered at the turn of events. All that mattered was how to get my next meal, usually a roti and an onion.

— Milkha Singh

The track, to me, was like an open book, in which I could read the meaning and purpose of life. I revered it like I would the sanctum sanctorum in a temple, where the deity resided and before whom I would humbly prostrate myself as a devotee. To keep myself steadfast to my goal, I renounced all pleasures and distractions, to keep myself fit and healthy, and dedicated my life to the ground where I could practice and run. Running had thus become my God, my religion and my beloved,

— Milkha Singh

Our American coach, Dr. [Arthur W] Howard, had accompanied the Indian team [to Cardiff] ….Because of Dr. Howard's motivation and advice, I won heat after heat and effortlessly reached the finals.

— Milkha Singh

He emphasized that I must maintain my speed for the first 300 metres, and then give it my all in the last 100 metres. He said that if I ran the first 300 metres at full speed, Spence would do the same, although that was not his running strategy.

— Milkha Singh

Discipline, hard work, will power....My experience made me so hard that I wasn't even scared of death." But one story reflects his desire clearest.

— Milkha Singh

When I reflect upon my life, I can clearly see how my passion for running has dominated my life. The images that flash through my mind are those running....running…running…

— Milkha Singh

Each of these moments brings back bitter sweet memories as they represent the different stages of my life, a life that has been kept afloat by my intense determination to triumph in my chosen vocation

— Milkha Singh

You can achieve anything in life. It just depends on how desperate you are to achieve it.

— Milkha Singh

My experience made me so hard that I wasn't even scared of death.

— Milkha Singh

In my determination to avoid failure, I set myself a goal to work towards, that is, to transform myself into a running machine.

— Milkha Singh