Best 15 quotes of Louis Zamperini on MyQuotes

Even at my age, I'm trying to improve. Never give up, no matter what. Even if you get last place - finish.

Every soldier should learn survival on land, sea, and in the air.

However dark the night, however dim our hopes, the light will always follow darkness.

I ended up in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific, operating out of Ayuka field in Hawaii.

I was a rotten kid. My excitement came from seeing what I could get away with.

Never give up, no matter what.

Pain is that last quarter of a mile. You feel it, but when you’re through racing, your whole body just feels elated. So the pain is worth it.

People say, on the raft, you must have hallucinated. Baloney. We were sharper after 47 days than the day we started because our minds were empty of all the war and contamination; we had clean minds to fill with good thoughts. Every day we'd exercise our minds.

Self-esteem can’t win you a race if you’re not in shape.

Someone who doesn't make the (Olympic) team might weep and collapse. In my day no one fell on the track and cried like a baby. We lost gracefully. And when someone won, he didn't act like he'd just become king of the world, either. Athletes in my day were simply humble in our victory. I believe we were more mature then...Maybe it's because the media puts so much pressure on athletes; maybe it's also the money. In my day we competed for the love of the sport...In my day we patted the guy who beat us on the back, wished him well, and that was it.

That's one thing you learn in sports. You don't give up; you fight to the finish.

To persevere, I think, is important for everybody. Don't give up, don't give in. There's always an answer to everything.

You have to reach deep within yourself to see if you are willing to make the sacrifices.

Positive self-esteem must be preceded by self-respect. To get self-respect you have to do something good.

The Bible speaks of the Word of God as added. Sometimes it's planted by the wayside, and nothing grows there. Sometimes it's sown among the thorns and represents the person who makes the decision an then goes back to his old life of bars and chasing women or whatever. A third seed is sown among the rocks. There's sand and dirt between the rocks, and when it rains you'll see a stalk of green coming up. But on the first day with sunshine it wilts because there is no room for roots. The fourth seed is planted on fertile soil, and finally it takes hold and has a chance to grow and live. That's what happened to me.