Former Olympians also get paid to make appearances. Many of them won their medals in an era when Olympic success didn't go hand-in-hand with financial success.

For athletes, the Olympics are the ultimate test of their worth.

If I had a bad performance in a particular leotard, I threw it in the trash.

As a kid, I was a pretty good little sprinter.

Companies that support sports developmental programs in our communities should also be applauded.

That's because the International Olympic Committee has a policy of never replacing medals.

I usually don't mind giving autographs, but when hundreds of folks with paper and pen start coming at you, it's time to seek shelter.

Having a home away from the media glare is important to world-class athletes.

You give up your childhood. You miss proms and games and high-school events, and people say it's awful... I say it was a good trade. You miss something but I think I gained more than I lost.

Be cocky. Walk into the Georgia Dome like you own it.

Getting to know athletes from all over the planet is a big part of the Olympic experience.

Former Olympians also get paid to make appearances. Many of them won their medals in an era when Olympic success didn't go hand-in-hand with financial success.

Pay-per-view would deprive many kids of the delight of seeing the Olympics.

I love her attitude, but as much as I'd like to bring my medals to a speech or appearance, I never do.

It's going to be really weird when I'm 80 years old, in a walker, and people are still calling me America's sweetheart. We need a new one.

In L.A., we had a game room with a new sensation called Pac-Man.

In the dressing room, I always put on my right shoe first. Same thing for my right wristband.

For six years, I kept my five Olympic medals wrapped in a plastic bread bag beneath my bed.

Many athletes competing in Atlanta wouldn't be here if it weren't for corporate support.

Many medal winners dream of competing in a sport other than the one they're famous for.

Fragile egos are put on the line every day.

As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we've been given.

The endorsement game has been very good to me.

A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.

Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive good things and good people will be drawn to you.

Heat is required to forge anything. Every great accomplishment is the story of a flaming heart.

Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and keep it.

Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.

Children possess a remarkable amount of passion. They throw themselves completely, heart and soul, into everything.

Our strength in finance has led us to set up an international financial centre with medium and long-term objectives, especially to develop Islamic financial and insurance services.

So, for example, a country was into recession right after I was sworn in, a dot-com bust had taken place. Then the attacks of September the 11th, and then of course the great financial meltdown in the -the fundamental question facing any presidency is how do you deal with the hand you're dealt?

I take great pride in having been able to overcome the Asian financial crisis and seeking the opportunities available to bring about an unprecedented growth in the economy.

I've been a financial journalist for 30 years.

Over and over again, financial experts and wonkish talking heads endeavor to explain these mysterious, 'toxic' financial instruments to us lay folk. Over and over, they ignobly fail, because we all know that no one understands credit default obligations and derivatives, except perhaps Mr. Buffett and the computers who created them.

I believe my publisher has shown a great deal of faith in me over a lot of years but I'm not prepared to be so arrogant to say that the long-term literary value of my work would compensate them for a financial failure.

We have, unlike many of our competitors, continued to meet our various financial obligations.

I kept an interested eye on the transfer window in England, which opened and closed last month, and the lack of frantic activity just goes to show the current financial state of the game right now.

I finally know what distinguishes man from the other beasts: financial worries.

One of the special characteristics of New York is that it is different from a London or a Paris because it's the financial capital, and the cultural capital, but not the political capital.

It's hard to exaggerate the importance of preserving the financial integrity of Social Security.

Women would be disproportionately affected by the privatization of social security. It is one of the most important safety nets for American women in old age, or in times of disability, to insure financial income for their families.

Asean is obviously a very important association for us. Over the past 30 years Asean has made great strides in regional cooperation covering a number of areas, although recently it has been under strain because of the financial crisis and other challenges.

For the past ten years I have had no financial problems.

We're on the verge of a financial collapse unless we balance the budget, and that means some really, really tough decisions.

Your most precious possession is not your financial assets. Your most precious possession is the people you have working there, and what they carry around in their heads, and their ability to work together.

Hitler's economic revolution in Germany had reduced financial considerations to a point where they played no role in economic or political decisions.

We did it Disneyland, in the knowledge that most of the people I talked to thought it would be a financial disaster - closed and forgotten within the first year.

Just because scientists have the knowledge to do it, the technology to do it, and some may even have a financial motive or other incentive to do it, does not make it right.

You want the story to end when it's supposed to and not be squeezed for somebody's financial gain.