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" I made the cover of 'Sports Illustrated,' 'Newsweek' and 'Time' all in one week, and I didn't even know what that meant. "

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" Of course, most people remember that I received the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics competition. "

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

" I remember everything from 1976. I remember I was 14, and I remember my routines. "

" I remember before the Olympics, I was asked, 'What do you think you're going to do in the Olympics?' and I said, 'I'm hoping I'm going to win a medal, and, if possible, it's going to be a gold one.' "

" In the '80 Olympics... people expected me to win. I was good enough to win, and I made a mistake and ended up second, which is pretty good, too. "

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

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

" I wasn't allowed to leave Romania. That made me mad. You just want your freedom. You want your space. You want opportunity. "

" Gymnastics was my way to travelling the world. "

" I like Oklahoma. It's a quiet place. You can work, and nobody disturbs you. "

" The fans had become used to looking toward the scoreboard whenever a gymnast stuck a landing. You could tell they were thinking, 'Was that good enough? Would the numbers read 10.00?' The athlete was looking, too. "

" One of the most difficult times in my life was when I escaped from Romania in November of 1989. "

" I am a relaxed person. I am very happy. "

" I was a perfectionist in gymnastics. "

" I'm not a dreamer for, you know, 'I want to go to the moon someday.' I accomplished something when I was young, which was much more than I expected to. My results were much bigger than I ever dreamed about it. "

" I would love to be in 'Dancing With the Stars.' "

" Of course I used to smile and laugh in 1976, but not when I was competing. Please show me somebody who laughs when they are concentrating; I always smiled. "

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

" I live in the moment. I can turn the page and move on. "

" I ended up in the US for a month or so, before moving to Montreal with some Romanian friends. "

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

" You should also appreciate the goodness around you, and surround yourself with positive people. "

Surround Yourself

" I didn't realize that winning the Olympics at age 14 automatically put me in the category of being a celebrity. "

" I like risky stuff. "

" At some particular time, when I was 14 years old, I've done something that people didn't expect. "

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

" At 14, you think you compete, you retire and you get a job. I didn't think gymnastics was a career that was going to change my life. "

" I have a classic taste with a twist, because classic never goes away. "

" Other kids had more talent, but I was the most focused. "

" I thought celebrity meant Hollywood, that's it. I began to see that does include Olympians. People have so much respect for Olympians. "