Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

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

Related Quotes:

" It's like someone important is missing from a party because you can't imagine an Olympic gymnastics competition without Romania. "

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

" My mother never watched me train in Romania. She wasn't allowed, it just wasn't done back then. My training was paid for by the government. My parents were not at the Olympics with me, either. I never expected them to be. "

" Uchimura is the greatest of all time. "

" I like America. I don't want to hurt America. "

" I had a lot of energy, and my mom decided to look for a place where I can spend the energy, because I was jumping on the couch and furniture, and I was jumping on the top of the things in the house. "

" Ceausescu thought I had only a few medals, but I have a room full of them in Bucharest, between 150-200 in all. They needed suitcases to haul them out. "

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

" Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don't lose the passion and the love for what you do. "

" When I got married in Bucharest, there were 10,000 people on the street. People didn't go to work that day. It was emotional to see how people care about you. I didn't expect that. "

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

" 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. "

" We only had white socks in Romania. But when I used to come back from the States, I used to bring back pink and yellow socks with all kind of designs, and hair clips and elastic bands for the ponytail that had colourful designs. "

" You can't jump from little things to big things. It just takes time and patience. "

" 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. "

" It's very hard to get to the top. It's hardest to stay at the top. "

" 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. "

" I did not even look at the scoreboard when my routine was done in 1976. "

" When you go out of your country and meet people, you get a wider perspective. "

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

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

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

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

" I used to tell people if they looked at a map, it was right in the middle of the United States. But now everybody knows Oklahoma because of the Thunder and their success. I don't know if I'll get 'Why?' anymore. "

" 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.' "

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

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

Surround Yourself

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

" 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. "

" 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. "