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" Of course, I grew up in Communist Romania, but I am happy to say that now our country is democratic, and prospering, since the revolution in 1989. "

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

" When I was 14, I had no pressure. I was a kid, and I didn't understand all the attention. "

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

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

" 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. "

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

" I come from a communist country. We learned nothing of lawyers, nothing about rights. "

" I always say I don't want to change anything in my life. "

" 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. "

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

" 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. "

" If I was 14 or 15 again, I would do the same thing. I've done everything. I think I've accomplished more than I had in mind. "

" I never personally complained; everybody else complained for me. "

" It feels good when you come to a place like Oklahoma to charge up the batteries. I need that. "

" 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.' "

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

" 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. "

" 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. "

" Everything I do today is because of what I did when I was 14. "

" 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?' "

" What makes me happy is the appreciation of people around me. "

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

" I believe that you should gravitate to people who are doing productive and positive things with their lives. "

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

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

Surround Yourself

" If I was a boy, nobody would care that I worked out six, seven hours a day when I was 9 years old, no? Why were people always saying 'poor little girl?' I liked to work out and always did more than I was asked to. "

" Once you become an Olympic champion, you are expected to win all the time. "

" Gymnastics is so huge in the Olympics. There are a lot of fans who want to see more. "

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