Michael Phelps

There were times I wouldn't come to practice, because it didn't excite me. It wasn't interesting. I was kind of going through the motions.

There is a one woman in China that claimed she paid $50 to get my e-mail address. It was pretty shocking. I got one this morning from Scotland. A girl's requesting a signed photo of me.

I believe in God; I'm not saying I'm highly religious.

I am 26 and, and I don't recover as fast as I have in the past.

I'm a Dunkin' Donuts kind of guy. I also like Cadbury's.

Being compared to Ian Thorpe, that could be one of the greatest compliments you could ever get in swimming - being compared to him and Mark Spitz.

It's cool just because I've had this dream of changing the sport of swimming and it's finally happening.

I feel most at home in the water. I disappear. That's where I belong.

If I bring back only one gold people are going to say it's a disappointment. But not too many of them own an Olympic gold medal so if I get one I'm going to be happy.

I think to be - for me to be an American is - you know, it's one of the greatest things in the world for - you know, for me just because I've been able to grow up with everything. The freedom. You know, in my eyes this is the greatest country in the world.

If I didn't swim my best, I'd think about it at school, at dinner, with my friends. It would drive me crazy.

If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do.

It doesn't matter what else is going on. When you walk into your arena or your - whatever you excel at, you're there to take care of the job that you have to do.

My mom put me and my sisters in the water to feel comfortable, to have water safety.

You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.

Every sponsor I've had has been something that fit my lifestyle, fit my personality.

Even in high school, I'd tell my mom I was sick of swimming and wanted to try to play golf. She wasn't too happy. She'd say, 'Think about this.' And I'd always end up getting back in the pool.

Swimming is more than a once-every-four-years sport. My goal is to bring attention to swimming - to give it some personality.

Swimming is normal for me. I'm relaxed. I'm comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It's my home.

I learned how fast you can go from being an international hero to being a reference in a joke on a late night talk show.

I'm the same kind of guy before all this happened.

Why is it such a big deal what I'm swimming?

I have reached a place in my life where I need to sit down and say, 'Well, what do I do? What's best for me?' I need to look into options for the future.

People say to me, 'You're so lucky. You get to see the world.' But I don't. I go to the hotel and to the pools and back again. That's it.

I know it won't be eight medals again. If you want to compare me to that, that's your decision, not mine. I'm going out there to try to accomplish the things that I have in my mind and in my heart.

I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.

You cant put a limit on anything. The more you dream the farther you get.

Once I retire, I'm retiring. I'm done.

I think goals should never be easy they should force you to work even if they are uncomfortable at the time.

I won't predict anything historic. But nothing is impossible.

Every day after I wake up, I think, 'Wait... this can't be real; I'm still going to wake up.'

I want to continue the sport of swimming. I'm not going to give up until I think it's reached where I want it to go.

I consider myself normal. I've spent 20 years in the pool. I consider that something that's normal.

I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it. I think your mind really controls everything.

I want to be able to look back and say, 'I've done everything I can, and I was successful.' I don't want to look back and say I should have done this or that. I'd like to change things for the younger generation of swimmers coming along.

My goal is one Olympic gold medal. Not many people in this world can say, 'I'm an Olympic gold medalist.'

I've been able to get an excitement back in the water.

I try to separate my personal life from swimming.

And, you know, being able to wear the stars and stripes, when you step up on one of the blocks or, you know, when you step off of an airplane or when you hear the national anthem play, you know, it's one of the greatest feelings in the world because you know that there are people at home who are supporting you and watching you.

I always thought, it would be neat to make the Olympic team.

I can't remember the last day I didn't train.

The more you dream, the farther you get.

I want to go to the World Cup. I want to go to the Masters. I want to go... anywhere.

You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.

I think sometimes I guess you see records, say you want to get there and use that as motivation. In a way, it's kind of cool if there is a possibility to rewrite history and be up there with the greats of Olympic history.

I think the biggest things I am looking forward to is getting new faces into the sport. Getting kids who could be afraid of water to feel comfortable in the pool.

I wouldn't say anything is impossible. I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it.

I live a pretty conservative life, so I probably really haven't done anything crazy.

Once I'm already in my room, I still have to open a door to get into my bed. It's like a giant box. It's like the boy in a bubble.

There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.

This is my 20th year in the sport. I've known swimming and that's it. I don't want to swim past age 30; if I continue after this Olympics, and come back in 2016, I'll be 31. I'm looking forward to being able to see the other side of the fence.

Don't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get.

The more you dream the more you achieve.

I'm so sick of the water.

I like to just think of myself as a normal person who just has a passion, has a goal and a dream and goes out and does it. And that's really how I've always lived my life.

So, you know, if, if I wanted to get up and just play golf one day, I would just get up and play golf. If I wanted to go to Vegas, I would just get up and go to Vegas.

Growing up in high school, I wasn't hanging out with friends every day or on the weekends. Doing normal high school kid things was something I was willing to give up.

I have the opportunity to be part of swimming history. To take the sport to a new level would be an honor for me. There's no better time to try this than now.

I want to test my maximum and see how much I can do. And I want to change the world of swimming.