Remembering Phelps' finest statements - A quotational tribute

The flying fish from Baltimore – Michael Phelps, one of the most celebrated athletes ever will be forever synonymous to Swimming and surreality. Here are a few quotes by the legend:

“It’s tough to put into words right now, but I finished my career how I wanted to. Through the ups and downs of my career I’ve still been able to do everything that I’ve ever wanted to accomplish.”

“If I want to achieve the goals I’ve set, I’ve got to be in tip-top shape.”

“Every rivalry is different. Crocker and I was different from what Ryan and I have. Ryan and I, we swim so many different strokes against each other. Crocker and I really only swam one event. But it is fun.”

“Ryan definitely brings out the best in me.”

“I am excited to have the opportunity to help provide the same swim instruction that I received as a child when I was enrolled in a water safety class at five-years-old.”

“If you dream as big as you can dream, anything is possible.”

“I wanted to do something nobody ever did. This goes hand in hand with my goal of changing swimming.”

“This is all a dream come true. Doing all best times. Winning every race. Everything was accomplished that I wanted to do. It’s been one fun week, that’s for sure.”

“Everything had to go perfect. Everything had to fall perfectly into place and I was able to have probably the best week of my life.”

“I’m tired and sore, but I’m still feeling decent in the water.”

“Not having to travel and being able to settle in has helped me in training life and school life. I’ve learned to get a grip and take care of myself.”

“If you’re not on your game every day, you’re going to get smoked. Our environment is very energetic.”

“Everything can’t go perfect. It’s all about how you adapt from those things and learn from experiences, learn from mistakes.”

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

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

“I won’t predict anything historic. But nothing is impossible.”

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

“I love to race the best people in the world and the fastest people in the world.”

“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.”

“I’m the same kind of guy before all this happened.”

“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.”

“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’ve always been fortunate in that I’ve been able to put myself in my own zone and relax. It comes naturally. I’m lucky to be that way.”

“My goal is one Olympic gold medal. Not many people in this world can say, ‘I’m an Olympic gold medallist.’”

“Every day after I wake up, I think, ‘Wait … this can’t be real; I’m still going to wake up.’”

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

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

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

“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.”