"Strive to be the very best you can be. Run the race against yourself and not the guy in the other lane. The reason I say that is, as long as you give it 110 percent, you are going to succeed. But as long as you're trying to beat the guy over there, you are worried about him, you're not worrying about how you've got to perform."

This philosophy has made Herschel Walker on of the most phenomenal success stories in sports history. An unathletic child by his own account, Herschel Walker went on to set all-time football records at every level of play, from high school to the pros. Along the way, he maintained a high grade-point average and the inviolable self-respect first instilled in him by his parents.