It's important not to make the gold medal bigger than it is.

I won't back down. I get a satisfaction from being tested and defeating the test.

If you have done something once, you can do it again or you can do it better. The beauty is the pursuit of the limit, not the limit itself. At least that's what I hope people realize.

The desire definitely comes from within. There are only a few people who make it to this level and those are the ones who have that innate desire.

To do the best that I possibly could in my world makes me pretty happy.

Competition is pretty much the essence of everything, it gives humans drive.

The thing I like about decathlon is also the thing I dislike: It's the maximum challenge, but also the maximum frustration.

I'm not maximized yet.

I think a challenge for myself is to see how many times I can get above 9,000. That would be a good challenge.

I wouldn't say there was a moment of realization when I wanted to be a runner; it was always just something I was.

I knew I could compete with most people in high school. It didn't quite give me an attitude, but it made me think I didn't have to try hard sometimes.

Renew your mind with the word of God.

So when someone would love to see you fail, forgive them, and draw upon that motivation to succeed.

Because a person couldn't ever be good and evil at once. Little girl, don't you know? The world is made up of shades of grey.

I can promote until I am blue in the face, but ultimately nobody knows what makes a hit.

There is little hope of equity where rebellion reigns.

What will not woman, gentle woman dare; when strong affection stirs her spirit up?

In the end, you write the book that grabs you by the throat and demands to be written.

A man, doubtful of his dinner, or trembling at a creditor, is not much disposed to abstracted meditation, or remote enquiries.

I had many reasons for writing memoir but among them was the hope that every Latino child and adult would find something familiar in it.

If you got into a taxi and the driver started driving backward, would the taxi driver end up owing you money?