Wilma Rudolph was a fearless female athlete who became known as the most admired American sprinter. She had formerly held a world record and won an Olympic medal. Most people were drawn to athletics because of her celebrity and popularity.
She was born with polio, yet the affliction had no effect on her dreams or spirit. Despite numerous issues and challenges, she developed into the well-known personality she is today. She competed in the Summer Olympics in 1956 and won bronze. It was the start of her spinster career.
She had also won the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash races in the ‘Rome Olympics” in 1960. She later broke a record by winning a 4* 100-meter relay. Similarly, she was not merely a participant; she was actively involved in promoting racial harmony both within the country and beyond the world. However, she died on November 12, 1994.
Here are a few inspirational Wilma Rudolph quotes that convey inner calm.
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“When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“WINNING IS GREAT, SURE, BUT IF YOU ARE REALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING IN LIFE, THE SECRET IS LEARNING HOW TO LOSE.” – WILMA RUDOLPH
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“The feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of me, three Olympic gold medals. I knew that was something nobody could ever take away from me, ever.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“I believe in me more than anything in this world.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“The triumph can’t be had without the struggle.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“MY DOCTOR TOLD ME I WOULD NEVER WALK AGAIN. MY MOTHER TOLD ME I WOULD. I BELIEVED MY MOTHER.”- WILMA RUDOLPH
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“Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s all a matter of discipline. I was determined to discover what life held for me beyond the inner-city streets.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I’m competing with is me.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“SOMETIMES IT TAKES YEARS TO REALLY GRASP WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOUR LIFE.” – WILMA RUDOLPH
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“No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“But when you come from a large, wonderful family, there’s always a way to achieve your goals.”
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“I don’t know why I run so fast. I just run.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“I HAD A SERIES OF CHILDHOOD ILLNESSES; SCARLET FEVER, PNEUMONIA, POLIO. I WALKED WITH BRACES UNTIL I WAS AT LEAST NINE YEARS OLD. MY LIFE WASN’T LIKE THE AVERAGE PERSON WHO GREW UP AND DECIDED TO ENTER THE WORLD OF SPORTS.” – WILMA RUDOLPH
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“When I was going through my transition of being famous, I tried to ask God why was I here? what was my purpose? Surely, it wasn’t just to win three gold medals. There has to be more to this life than that.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“They say things like they don’t want men opening doors for them anymore, and they don’t want men lighting their cigarettes for them anymore. Big deal. Black women have been opening doors for themselves and lighting their own cigarettes for a couple centuries in this country. Black women don’t quibble about things that are not important.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“The triumph cannot be had without the struggle. And I know what struggle is. I have spent a lifetime trying to share what it has meant to be a woman first in the world of sports so that other young women have a chance to reach their dreams.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“I know black women in Tennessee who have worked all their lives, from the time they were twelve years old to the day they died. These women don’t listen to the women’s liberation rhetoric because they know that it’s nothing but a bunch of white women who had certain life-styles and who want to change those life-styles.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“I thought I’d never get to see that. Florence Griffith Joyner — every time she ran, I ran.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“BY THE TIME I WAS 12 I WAS CHALLENGING EVERY BOY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AT RUNNING, JUMPING, EVERYTHING.” – WILMA RUDOLPH
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“What do you do after you are world-famous and nineteen or twenty and you have sat with prime ministers, kings, and queens, the Pope? Do you go back home and take a job? What do you do to keep your sanity? You come back to the real world.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“Black women . . . work because their husbands can’t make enough money at their jobs to keep everything going. . . . They don’t go to work to find fulfillment or adventure, or glamour and romance, like so many white women think they are doing. Black women work out of necessity.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“I would be disappointed if I were remembered as a runner because I feel that my contribution to the youth of America has far exceeded the woman who was the Olympic champion.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“The triumph can’t be had without the struggle. And I know what struggle is. I have spent a lifetime trying to share what it has meant to be a woman first in the world of sports so that other young women have a chance to reach their dreams.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“I tell them that the most important aspect is to be yourself and have confidence in yourself.” – Wilma Rudolph
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“WHEN I WAS GOING THROUGH MY TRANSITION OF BEING FAMOUS, I TRIED TO ASK GOD, WHY WAS I HERE? WHAT WAS MY PURPOSE? SURELY, IT WASN’T JUST TO WIN THREE GOLD MEDALS. THERE HAS TO BE MORE TO THIS LIFE THAN THAT.”- WILMA RUDOLPH
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“My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces.”- Wilma Rudolph
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“I’m in my prime. There’s no goal too far, no mountain too high.”- Wilma Rudolph
