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

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.

Athletes as role models and heroes is a hoax, a sick hoax. The men and women who are fighting in Iraq, they are the true heroes.

No one will burn out doing aerobic running. It is too much anaerobic running, which the American scholastic athletic system tends to put young athletes through, that burns them out.

The bottom line is that these athletes tend to be safer investments because they really value their marketing opportunities. They don't make as much money as during their active careers.

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

I always liked serve-and-volley players and big athletes.

Several professional athletes have wrongly taught many young Americans by example that the only way to succeed in sports is to take steroids.

There's that initial reticence for some athletes to take you seriously.

It strikes me that these days, clubs don't even want players who can truly play any more; they just want athletes, quick guys who don't have a football brain, can just run and run; some of them, Jesus. I can never imagine acting like that.

One of the perks of being an actor is to get to meet athletes that you respect. Especially who played before my time. Brooks Robinson is one of those athletes; they just don't make them any nicer.

The contracts are structured different than athletes in America, but for me, it was good to move on and go back to playing in the premiere league, which is the best league. It was disappointing, as far as the team goes, but for me, there wasn't much I could do.

I've witnessed thousands of superior athletes try to becomes hitters and fail at it.

The only reason we make good role models is because you guys look up to athletes and we can influence you in positive ways. But the real role models should be your parents and teachers!

We typically don't choose our athletes until about a month prior to the Games because anything can happen.

The night before I compete, I like to have steak. Meat is especially important for female athletes because it provides them with the nutrients they need to perform at their best.

Sports is a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and achieving against great odds. Athletes, in times of difficulty, can be important role models.

Too many athletes do not admit their weaknesses.

I was so afraid that the athletes wouldn't talk to me because I'm a woman.

When we reach the point where the women athletes are getting their pick of dates just as easily as the men athletes, then we've really and truly arrived. Parity at last!

American professional athletes are bilingual; they speak English and profanity.

I think the athletes respond well to me because I have been successful.