Constant Encouragement

I have never seen any Briton with such a kind, sympathetic oneness-heart. I used to always say that the British are measured; each word they say is measured. But for Jim Smith there is no measurement. It is all immeasurable—a spontaneous flow right from the beginning.

Jim Smith’s concern for me and his constant encouragement are really something. Jim Smith and Bill Pearl—one from America and one from England—have offered me constant, constant encouragement and inspiration.

When I told Jim that I am now aiming at 1,300, he said, “No, no, not 1,300—1,500! 1,300 is not necessary. Now that you have gone beyond what the mind can comprehend in your weightlifting, you can do what the mind can’t even imagine!”

—16 November 1986