Bill Pearl

William Arnold "Bill" Pearl (October 31, 1930 – September 14, 2022) was an American professional bodybuilder and athlete.

Bill Pearl in 1954

Quotes

• With each succeeding year on the diet — it's called lacto-ovo-vegetarianism — I've felt better. I'm more healthy, I can train with more energy, and I'm not as much of a "hard guy" as I used to be. I've become more concerned with my fellow man and the other inhabitants I share the earth with. Judy and I have now been vegetarians for almost 35 years. We have no fish, fowl or red meat in our diet. Yet I can still carry the same amount of muscle mass as I did in winning my four Mr. Universe titles. People can't believe it. They think that to have big muscles you have to eat meat — it's a persistent and recurring myth. But take it from me, there's nothing magic about eating meat that's going to make you a champion bodybuilder. Anything you can find in a piece of meat, you can find in other foods as well.
  • Getting Stronger: Weight Training for Sports (20th anniversary ed. Bolinas, CA: Shelter Publications, 2005), p. 374.