Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel
Robert Craig "Evel" Knievelwas an American stunt performer and entertainer. Over his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps, and, in 1974, a canyon jump across Snake River Canyonin the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket. During his career he suffered more than 433 bone fractures, earning an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the survivor of "most bones broken in a lifetime". Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. Knievel died...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDaredevil
Date of Birth17 October 1938
CityButte, MT
CountryUnited States of America
You can't ask a guy like me why [I performed]. I really wanted to fly through the air. I was a daredevil, a performer. I loved the thrill, the money, the whole macho thing. All those things made me Evel Knievel. Sure, I was scared. You gotta be an ass not to be scared. But I beat the hell out of death.
I did everything by the seat of my pants. That's why I got hurt so much.
She (my ex-wife) wanted me to stop being Evel Knievel. I am who I am. I'm not going to change. I'll settle down the day they put me in a six-foot pine box.
Risk is good. Not properly managing your risk is a dangerous leap.
In the old days they, the promoters, wanted more and more from me. They wanted me to jump or spill my blood and break my bones. Every time they wanted me to jump further, and further, and further. Hell, they thought my bike had wings.
I would always rather be in the arena fighting than be a spectator.
I love the feeling of the fresh air on my face and the wind blowing through my hair.
When you're mad at someone, it's probably best not to break his arm with a baseball bat.
If you fall during your life it doesn't matter because you're never a failure if you try to get up.
Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it
Riding a motorcycle on today's highways, you have to ride in a very defensive manner. You have to be a good rider and you have to have both hands and both feet on the controls at all times.
You'd think a guy who has broken 35 bones in his body would have a high pain threshold, but mine is pretty low. I got hit in the shin with a golf ball once and it almost brought tears to my eyes. I've had broken bones that didn't hurt as bad.
The finest compliment you can pay a man is that his word was as good as gold.
You come to a point in your life when you really don't care what people think about you, you just care what you think about yourself.