Michael Phelps
Swimming is normal for me. I'm relaxed. I'm comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It's my home.Collection: Fitness
I believe in God; I'm not saying I'm highly religious.Collection: God
I think sometimes I guess you see records, say you want to get there and use that as motivation. In a way, it's kind of cool if there is a possibility to rewrite history and be up there with the greats of Olympic history.Collection: Cool
I can only control my own performance. If I do my best, then I can feel good at the end of the day.Collection: Best
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.Collection: Work
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.Collection: Change
There is a one woman in China that claimed she paid $50 to get my e-mail address. It was pretty shocking. I got one this morning from Scotland. A girl's requesting a signed photo of me.Collection: Morning
You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.Collection: Sports
I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.Collection: Work
I feel most at home in the water. I disappear. That's where I belong.Collection: Home
I wouldn't say anything is impossible. I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it.Collection: Time
Even in high school, I'd tell my mom I was sick of swimming and wanted to try to play golf. She wasn't too happy. She'd say, 'Think about this.' And I'd always end up getting back in the pool.Collection: Mom
It's cool just because I've had this dream of changing the sport of swimming and it's finally happening.Collection: Cool
I eat pretty much whatever I want. I don't have a strict diet. It's all about cramming in as many calories into my system as I possibly can.Collection: Diet
If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do.Collection: Best
And, you know, being able to wear the stars and stripes, when you step up on one of the blocks or, you know, when you step off of an airplane or when you hear the national anthem play, you know, it's one of the greatest feelings in the world because you know that there are people at home who are supporting you and watching you.Collection: Home
I won't predict anything historic. But nothing is impossible.Collection: Sports
The more you dream the more you achieve.
I can't remember the last day I didn't train.
I'm so sick of the water.
People say to me, 'You're so lucky. You get to see the world.' But I don't. I go to the hotel and to the pools and back again. That's it.
It doesn't matter what else is going on. When you walk into your arena or your - whatever you excel at, you're there to take care of the job that you have to do.
Growing up in high school, I wasn't hanging out with friends every day or on the weekends. Doing normal high school kid things was something I was willing to give up.
I'm the same kind of guy before all this happened.
I've never lifted a single weight in my life.
I want to go to the World Cup. I want to go to the Masters. I want to go... anywhere.
Why is it such a big deal what I'm swimming?
I used to always go to church on holidays, but I don't go much any more.
My goal is one Olympic gold medal. Not many people in this world can say, 'I'm an Olympic gold medalist.'
I have the opportunity to be part of swimming history. To take the sport to a new level would be an honor for me. There's no better time to try this than now.
There were times I wouldn't come to practice, because it didn't excite me. It wasn't interesting. I was kind of going through the motions.
I like to just think of myself as a normal person who just has a passion, has a goal and a dream and goes out and does it. And that's really how I've always lived my life.
If I bring back only one gold people are going to say it's a disappointment. But not too many of them own an Olympic gold medal so if I get one I'm going to be happy.
I'm a Dunkin' Donuts kind of guy. I also like Cadbury's.
I try to separate my personal life from swimming.
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 think to be - for me to be an American is - you know, it's one of the greatest things in the world for - you know, for me just because I've been able to grow up with everything. The freedom. You know, in my eyes this is the greatest country in the world.
I got a Cadillac Escalade. Put some rims on it, threw a couple TV's in there, and installed a system. I stuck my Xbox in there. I had to go for it.
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 think the biggest things I am looking forward to is getting new faces into the sport. Getting kids who could be afraid of water to feel comfortable in the pool.
I got the stamina. I can close.
I learned how fast you can go from being an international hero to being a reference in a joke on a late night talk show.
This is my 20th year in the sport. I've known swimming and that's it. I don't want to swim past age 30; if I continue after this Olympics, and come back in 2016, I'll be 31. I'm looking forward to being able to see the other side of the fence.
Once I retire, I'm retiring. I'm done.
I have a lot of goals, but I think that I just want to take it day by day.
I always thought, it would be neat to make the Olympic team.
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.
Every day after I wake up, I think, 'Wait... this can't be real; I'm still going to wake up.'
I want to test my maximum and see how much I can do. And I want to change the world of swimming.
Once I'm already in my room, I still have to open a door to get into my bed. It's like a giant box. It's like the boy in a bubble.