Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

" Every generation comes with a unique athlete, I don't think anybody wants to be the next Nadia; they want to be themselves. "

Related Quotes:

" People always accused me of not smiling like my rival Olga Korbut, but that was just my personality. When you're balancing on a nine-inch beam, you have to concentrate. But if you look back at the footage, I was always smiling and waving at the crowd after my performances. "

" I don't run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet. "

" I worked hard in gymnastics since the time I was six years old until I retired at 23 years of age. "

" I tell people, 'Have you ever been to Oklahoma? There are a lot of nice people there that do wonderful things.' "

" What can you know about life at 14? I have learned a lot since, but you learn slowly. You get hit by many things and try to make sense of it. "

" When you're growing up, you realize you've got a lot of heavy things on your shoulders. "

" I basically have my life today as a result of what I did as a child. What did I miss out on? Yeah, I missed not hanging out at shopping malls, I guess, but that is not a big deal because you don't get a medal for that. "

" To me, family is what is important. If you don't have it, nothing is going to matter. "

" People think you have pressure when you are young. It's the other way round, actually. "

" Two gold medals and two silver, I don't think is that bad... I think I still did a pretty good job. "

" I think a lot of people don't actually know me. They think, 'She's like this,' or, 'She's like that.' They say I have no emotions - I do, but you couldn't see them then. I had to keep them inside. "

" People ask me what the definition of perfection, I said it's none: there is no definition of perfection. "

" When I went into the Montreal Games, nobody expected much out of me. "

" I am not a perfect 10 anymore. I can only try my best. "

" Gymnastics should be popular everywhere; you just need the right person to start the right programme. "

" I come from a wonderful country with wonderful people. "

" My parents were very loving, but disciplinarians. "

" In Montreal, I kept thinking, 'Pay attention: this is the Olympics! It only happens once every four years!' "

" See, when I went to the Olympics in '76, the gymnastics people knew that I was good, but everybody else, after I won, everybody was like, 'Where's she coming from? Who is she? What is Romania?' "

" Now, I have a kid, I have businesses to take care of, I have to travel. I have to sit down... and find a little time for me. "

" I had more pressure when I competed in Moscow. I had no pressure in Montreal because I only went to do my routines and hoping I didn't mess it up when I was on the bar. When I came back, 10,000 people were at the airport and I thought, 'Why?' because, in my mind, I hadn't done anything different from what I used to do in my gym. "

" Yes, gymnasts aim for perfection, but I never thought about the score. If that's what's in your mind, it will probably mess you up. "

" Nellie Kim, an Olympic champion from the former Soviet Union, got a 10 right after me in '76, but nobody talks about that. "

" At the end of the day, I just want to see good gymnastics! "

" I like to tell young people to work hard for your goals and live in the moment. "

" I couldn't do everything in the first or second day; it took me years to be able to get to the achievement that I've had. I wasn't perfect from the beginning. "

" Gymnastics was my way to travelling the world. "

" Romania doesn't have a big tradition of gymnastics as a fun activity. We were a little behind in this aspect. "

" Maybe that's why I like gymnastics - because I like to fly. "

" Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win. "