Mary Lou Retton Quotes

Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.

Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and keep it.

Working hard becomes a habit, a serious kind of fun. You get self-satisfaction from pushing your self to the limit, knowing that all the effort is going to pay off.

Rather then focusing on the obstacle in your path, focus on the bridge over the obstacle.

A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.

Even though it may seem counterintuitive, a comfort zone is a dangerous place to be.

Erase the word "failure" from your vocabulary. No case is ever truly closed, and no challenge is ever over.

You've got to believe in yourself first. Take risks and don't be afraid to fall.

As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we've been given.

I'm very determined and stubborn. There's a desire in me that makes me want to do more and more, and to do it right. Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It's our goal in life to find it and to keep it lit.

Working hard becomes a habit, a serious kind of fun.

Friendship is a living thing that lasts only as it is nourished with kindness, sympathy, and understanding.

Heat is required to forge anything. Every great accomplishment is the story of a flaming heart.

Faith is a gateway to happiness that remains permanently accessible to each of us, wherever we are, no matter our circumstances.

As much time as you put into it, that's what your achievements are going to be when you come out of it.

For six years, I kept my five Olympic medals wrapped in a plastic bread bag beneath my bed.

If I had a bad performance in a particular leotard, I threw it in the trash.

There are so many negatives in our society. To be on the cover of a magazine these days, you have to have been through drug rehab three times. What message is this giving to young people? But there are positives in our society. And I try to surround myself with good-natured, positive people.

You give up your childhood. You miss proms and games and high-school events, and people say it's awful... I say it was a good trade. You miss something but I think I gained more than I lost.

Children possess a remarkable amount of passion. They throw themselves completely, heart and soul, into everything.

What is the fire that burns in your heart? If you are lucky enough to discover it, than by all means fan the flames and let the fire be the guiding light for a life worth living.

Training for the Olympics was much easier than balancing my life now! When practice was over, there was time for me. But with four kids and a career, I have no downtime. When I'm not on the road, I finish my workday at 2:30 p.m. Then I pick the kids up from school and they get 100 percent Mommy, not part Mommy and part Mary Lou Retton.

Companies that support sports developmental programs in our communities should also be applauded.

In the dressing room, I always put on my right shoe first. Same thing for my right wristband.

For athletes, the Olympics are the ultimate test of their worth.