Spitz Quotes & Sayings

What it is saying is that someone who was a world champion and who takes care of himself with a 17-year rest and applies the proper training techniques and perseverance could be successful. — Mark Spitz

I got beat real hard and heavy in the Olympic Games in 1968 by a guy who swam an incredible race one time in his whole life, but he did it right at the right time. I'd like to be that guy now. Maybe that's what I'm going to have to pull out of my hat to make the Olympic team. — Mark Spitz

Every time the economy goes south, art grows. If you were an actuary or an accountant you'd consider those years horrid, but if you were an artist, you'd consider them magic. — Marc Spitz

In other words, we want to believe that Mark Spitz was born to swim in a way that none of us were and that none of us could. We don't want to sit on the pool deck and watch him progress from amateur to expert. We prefer our excellence fully formed. We prefer mystery to mundanity. — Angela Duckworth

On the endive show, she offered a Yogi Berra-style malaprop: "Now don't wash endive-that is, unless it's dirty." And during an episode of forgetfulness: "I did not have my glasses on when I was thinking." Once, she sorted through a jungle of seaweed in search of a twenty-pound lobster lurking in its folds; another time, she lifted the veil over a platter hunting for the "big, bad artichoke" lying furtively underneath. — Bob Spitz

Bowie sat down for an interview with his Hunger costar Susan Sarandon and explained, "When you're young and you're determined to crack the big dream of 'I have a big statement and the world needs to hear my statement,' there's something a bit irresponsible about your attitude to the future. A nonrecognition that the future exists. I think it's important for youth to have that. My son keeps me remembering that there is a tomorrow. — Marc Spitz

When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the mustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it - and everybody was talking about it - that I decided to keep it. — Mark Spitz

One of the most difficult things for people who have been successful in sports is adapting to the daily world where you can't get an answer from someone until 5 o'clock tomorrow. There is always an excuse. Living 40 or 50 years like that doesn't get too exciting after a while. — Mark Spitz

If you are relaxing and subconsciously thinking about your coming race, you are going to perform at just about 100 percent efficiency. — Mark Spitz

If you want to be Mark Spitz then go for it. If you want to be Michael Phelps then you'll have to work for it. Nobody should wake up to a lower expectation of themselves. — Mark Spitz

If he wins seven golds and ties what I did, then it would be like I was the first man on the moon and he became the second. If he wins more than seven, then he becomes the first man on Mars. We'd both be unique. — Mark Spitz

I was in Italy in 1992 working on magazine articles when I got a call from the Italian travel commission. They asked, would I mind being an escort for an older woman? I told them I don't do that kind of work, but then they said it was Julia Child, and I said I'd be right there. — Bob Spitz

I wasn't able to lower my cholesterol so they put me on a statin drug. It is called lipitor. I was able to lower my level in about 30 days from above 300 to below 200. — Mark Spitz

I just tried to keep my cool and continue with my race plan: to win. — Mark Spitz

From then on it was war between them. Spitz, as lead-dog and acknowledged master of the team, felt his supremacy threatened by this strange Southland dog. And strange Buck was to him, for of the many Southland dogs he had known, not one had shown up worthily in camp and on trail. They were all too soft, dying under the toil, the frost, and starvation. Buck was the exception. He alone endured and prospered, matching the husky in strength, savagery, and cunning. Then he was a masterful dog, and what made him dangerous was the fact that the club of the man in the red sweater had knocked all blind pluck and rashness out of his desire for mastery. He was preeminently cunning, and could bide his time with a patience that was nothing less than primitive. — Jack London

He had learned well the law of club and fang, and he never forewent an advantage or drew back from a foe he had started on the way to Death. He had lessoned from Spitz, and from the chief fighting dogs of the police and mail, and knew there was no middle course. He must master or be mastered; while to show mercy was a weakness. mercy did not exist in the primordial life. It was misunderstood for fear, and such misunderstandings made for death. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, was the law; and this mandate, down out of the depths of Time, he obeyed. — Jack London

Being compared to Ian Thorpe, that could be one of the greatest compliments you could ever get in swimming - being compared to him and Mark Spitz. — Michael Phelps

Mark Spitz backed away from the fucking corn. — Colson Whitehead

In everyday life there is always manana. There is no urgency. — Mark Spitz

Spitz and Michael Wadleigh's documentary film Woodstock — Andrew Gentes

Past performance speaks a tremendous amount about one's ability and likelihood for success. — Mark Spitz

The only side effect of too much training is that you get into better shape. There is nothing wrong with that. — Mark Spitz

The pool is terrible, but that doesn't have much to do with my record swims. That's all mental attitude. — Mark Spitz

It existed almost by oversight, "far removed from reality," as one of the "Kandy Kids" wrote, "where everyone had an academic interest in the war but found life far too pleasant to do anything too drastic about it. — Bob Spitz

As the saying goes, Bruce Jenner is a millionaire, and Mark Spitz is a dentist. It's the wrong sport. — Timothy Olyphant

Swimming isn't everything, winning is. — Mark Spitz

So in my mind I own a lot of house records still. — Mark Spitz

Mark Spitz didn't ask about Harry. You never asked about the characters that disappeared from a Last Night story. You knew the answer. The plague had a knack for narrative closure. — Colson Whitehead

I am not qualified to talk about the diet. Simply because I am not a dietician. — Mark Spitz

When you need a lifestyle change due to [health issues], a dietary change is usually the first thing you need to take control of. — Mark Spitz

There are times I might coach one or two workouts a year when the regular coach gets caught in traffic. — Mark Spitz

It has nothing to do with swimming. That happens to be my sport. I'm trying to see how far I can go. — Mark Spitz

Yes, I believe that the art of winning is through intimidation, and not necessarily do you have to speak about it. — Mark Spitz

And yet at the center of this vortex was the desire to do something more with it. What or with whom, he wasn't sure. But he sensed it was only a matter of time until it all came together and he put his own stamp on it. Eight months later, he met John Lennon. — Bob Spitz

Mark Spitz had met plenty of the divine-retribution folks over the months. This was their moment; they were umbrella salesmen standing outside a subway entrance in a downpour. The human race deserved the plague, we brought it on ourselves for poisoning the planet, for the Death of God, the calculated brutalities of the global economic system, for driving primordial species to extinction: the entire collapse of values as evidenced by everything from nuclear fission to reality television to alternate side of the street parking. Mark Spitz could only endure these harangues for a minute or two before he split. It was boring.The plague was the plague. You were wearing galoshes, or you weren't. — Colson Whitehead

All things being equal, if we could simulate the same scenario, he has a lot more difficult task. He's elected to swim six individual events, as opposed to what I elected to do, which was four. — Mark Spitz

I walked away from the sport for 17 years, then started swimming again recently in a master's program. — Mark Spitz

And if you have high cholesterol, you would feel the same as if you had low cholesterol because there are no side effects, no symptoms of having high cholesterol. — Mark Spitz

Julia dealt with rules the way she later dealt with vegetarians; she pretended they didn't exist. — Bob Spitz

Do any exercise you want as long as you're willing to do it. You see gym equipment on TV advertisements all the time, but guess what? It's only good if you actually use it. — Mark Spitz

I'm trying to do the best I can. I'm not concerned with tomorrow, but with what goes on today. — Mark Spitz

In a crime there is always a perpetrator and a victim. If you look the other way, do not get involved, stay neutral, or remain silent, you will always help the perpetrator and never the victim. — Vivien Spitz

There's a difference between over-training and over-exercising. Over-training can be you're trying to do something at high performance, but when you're over-exercising it just means that you don't have a life. And there are obviously people who go to that extreme. — Mark Spitz

In my day, at 12 years old, which was 38 years ago, we worked out in summer months for two and a half hours. Today someone in that age group might work out for four hours, two hours in the morning and two at night. — Mark Spitz

The only thing scarier than death is the disappearance from youth. — Marc Spitz

Because a known fact is better than an unknown fact. — Mark Spitz

We all love to win, but how many people love to train? — Mark Spitz

Life is true to form; records are meant to be broken. — Mark Spitz

Life is everchanging, if you cease to change, you cease to live. — Mark Spitz

I always wanted to be a dentist from the time I was in high school, and I was accepted to dental school in the spring of 1972. I was planning to go, but after the Olympics there were other opportunities. — Mark Spitz

Everyone loves to be loved. — Mark Spitz

The memories of the Munich games for me are of triumph and tragedy. — Mark Spitz

Well my thoughts on American swimming are that our prospects look favorable, but we may not have as strong a showing in the gold medal count as in previous Olympics. But I am not coaching. — Mark Spitz

The dark circle became a dot on the moon-flooded snow as Spitz disappeared from view. — Jack London

The Beatles changed music forever. They took rock n' roll from a medium that was about cars and girls and gave it context, interesting chord changes and true musicianship. — Bob Spitz

I'm at the depot, and I'm not going anywhere. That's better to deal with than having to deal with the unknown. And the unknown is they don't want to fail. They don't want to pay the price unless there's a guarantee they're going to get there. — Mark Spitz

I don't want to be the next Mark Spitz; I want to be the first Michael Phelps — Michael Phelps

My biggest loss was the Olympics. I just can't forget losing. I never will. — Mark Spitz

The Beatles' story is all of our stories. It is about how the youth culture emerged, the drug culture emerged, how politics rose to the fore as a universal debate. It's about rebellion, it's about the growth of the British entertainment system, the growth of the rock n' roll entertainment system. — Bob Spitz

If you have a lane, you have a chance. — Mark Spitz

If you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail. — Mark Spitz

(American swimmer, 1972 Summer Olympics, on winning seven gold medals Inspirational)
I swam my brains out. — Mark Spitz

By making a comeback, I'm changing the attitude of people toward me. If I'd known that people would react so enthusiastically, I'd have done it years ago. — Mark Spitz

I swam my brains out. — Mark Spitz