Mark Spitz
By making a comeback, I'm changing the attitude of people toward me. If I'd known that people would react so enthusiastically, I'd have done it years ago.Collection: Attitude
In my day, at 12 years old, which was 38 years ago, we worked out in summer months for two and a half hours. Today someone in that age group might work out for four hours, two hours in the morning and two at night.Collection: Morning
One of the most difficult things for people who have been successful in sports is adapting to the daily world where you can't get an answer from someone until 5 o'clock tomorrow. There is always an excuse. Living 40 or 50 years like that doesn't get too exciting after a while.Collection: Sports
The pool is terrible, but that doesn't have much to do with my record swims. That's all mental attitude.Collection: Attitude
Past performance speaks a tremendous amount about one's ability and likelihood for success.Collection: Success
I am not qualified to talk about the diet. Simply because I am not a dietician.Collection: Diet
I just tried to keep my cool and continue with my race plan: to win.Collection: Cool
Life is true to form; records are meant to be broken.
If you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail.
Because a known fact is better than an unknown fact.
Well my thoughts on American swimming are that our prospects look favorable, but we may not have as strong a showing in the gold medal count as in previous Olympics. But I am not coaching.
My biggest loss was the Olympics. I just can't forget losing. I never will.
Everyone loves to be loved.
I wasn't able to lower my cholesterol so they put me on a statin drug. It is called lipitor. I was able to lower my level in about 30 days from above 300 to below 200.
So in my mind I own a lot of house records still.
In everyday life there is always manana. There is no urgency.
And if you have high cholesterol, you would feel the same as if you had low cholesterol because there are no side effects, no symptoms of having high cholesterol.
Swimming isn't everything, winning is.
It has nothing to do with swimming. That happens to be my sport. I'm trying to see how far I can go.
I got beat real hard and heavy in the Olympic Games in 1968 by a guy who swam an incredible race one time in his whole life, but he did it right at the right time. I'd like to be that guy now. Maybe that's what I'm going to have to pull out of my hat to make the Olympic team.
All things being equal, if we could simulate the same scenario, he has a lot more difficult task. He's elected to swim six individual events, as opposed to what I elected to do, which was four.
What it is saying is that someone who was a world champion and who takes care of himself with a 17-year rest and applies the proper training techniques and perseverance could be successful.
When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the mustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it - and everybody was talking about it - that I decided to keep it.
There are times I might coach one or two workouts a year when the regular coach gets caught in traffic.
I always wanted to be a dentist from the time I was in high school, and I was accepted to dental school in the spring of 1972. I was planning to go, but after the Olympics there were other opportunities.
I swam my brains out.
I'm trying to do the best I can. I'm not concerned with tomorrow, but with what goes on today.
The only side effect of too much training is that you get into better shape. There is nothing wrong with that.
I walked away from the sport for 17 years, then started swimming again recently in a master's program.
Yes, I believe that the art of winning is through intimidation, and not necessarily do you have to speak about it.
If he wins seven golds and ties what I did, then it would be like I was the first man on the moon and he became the second. If he wins more than seven, then he becomes the first man on Mars. We'd both be unique.
The memories of the Munich games for me are of triumph and tragedy.
I'm at the depot, and I'm not going anywhere. That's better to deal with than having to deal with the unknown. And the unknown is they don't want to fail. They don't want to pay the price unless there's a guarantee they're going to get there.
We all love to win, but how many people love to train?Collection: Winning
If you're fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail.Collection: Inspirational
It has nothing to do with swimming. That happens to be my sport. I'm trying to see how far I can goCollection: Sports
Life is everchanging, if you cease to change, you cease to live.Collection: Life
There's a difference between over-training and over-exercising. Over-training can be you're trying to do something at high performance, but when you're over-exercising it just means that you don't have a life. And there are obviously people who go to that extreme.Collection: Mean
When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the moustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it — and everybody was talking about it — that I decided to keep it.Collection: Talking
If you are relaxing and subconsciously thinking about your coming race, you are going to perform at just about 100 percent efficiency.Collection: Inspirational Life
In my day, at 12 years old, which was 38 years ago, we worked out in summer months for two and a half hours. Today someone in that age group might work out for four hours, two hours in the morning and two at nightCollection: Summer
So in my mind I own a lot of house records stillCollection: House
If you want to be Mark Spitz then go for it. If you want to be Michael Phelps then you'll have to work for it. Nobody should wake up to a lower expectation of themselves.Collection: Expectations
One of the most difficult things for people who have been successful in sports is adapting to the daily world where you can't get an answer from someone until 5 o'clock tomorrow. There is always an excuse. Living 40 or 50 years like that doesn't get too exciting after a whileCollection: Sports
If you have a lane, you have a chance.Collection: Chance
I'm at the depot, and I'm not going anywhere. That's better to deal with than having to deal with the unknown. And the unknown is they don't want to fail. They don't want to pay the price unless there's a guarantee they're going to get thereCollection: Sports
Life is true to form, records are meant to be brokenCollection: Sports
As a kid, chess was the first thing I studied in a structured way that helped me gain the discipline to study medicine and become successful doctor.Collection: Business
Swimming isn't everything - winning is.Collection: Sports