Michael Phelps
My mom put me and my sisters in the water to feel comfortable, to have water safety.
Yeah, my friends call me Mike, Michael or just my last name.
So, you know, if, if I wanted to get up and just play golf one day, I would just get up and play golf. If I wanted to go to Vegas, I would just get up and go to Vegas.
I am 26 and, and I don't recover as fast as I have in the past.
I've been able to get an excitement back in the water.
I know it won't be eight medals again. If you want to compare me to that, that's your decision, not mine. I'm going out there to try to accomplish the things that I have in my mind and in my heart.
I consider myself normal. I've spent 20 years in the pool. I consider that something that's normal.
Any Olympic sport is great to watch.
I listen to music before my competitions to get me pumped up. It helps me stay focused.
I usually try to eat lot of calories. With so many events, it is important to sustain a high level of energy through the entire meet. I usually eat two hours before a meet.
Every sponsor I've had has been something that fit my lifestyle, fit my personality.
I haven't swam in any of the rivers outside of Baltimore. I try to keep it in the pool.
I want to retire how I want to retire - and I have a great opportunity to do that.
I think everybody pees in the pool. It's kind of a normal thing to do for swimmers.
For so long, I looked at myself as literally a kid who was talented who would go up and down the pool. That's it. Nothing else. Very few people knew who I really was.
I still remember the days, not wanting to see anybody, not wanting to talk to anybody, really not wanting to live. I was on an express elevator to the bottom floor, wherever that might be.
For the millionth time, I'm retired. I keep saying it, and people keep answering, 'Well, maybe he doesn't mean it this time.' But I do.
I want to continue the sport of swimming. I'm not going to give up until I think it's reached where I want it to go.
There are too many kids who are drowning for lack of water safety. That's something I'd like to do. Teaching kids to live an active lifestyle.
I'll be working with kids for the rest of my life.
There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work... THERE ARE NO LIMITS.Collection: Mistake
If you want to be the best you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do.Collection: Sports
Things won’t go perfect. It’s all about how you adapt from those things and learn from mistakes.Collection: Mistake
The one thing that's common to all successful people: They make a habit of doing things that unsuccessful people don't like to do.Collection: Success
Perseverance, determination, commitment, and courage-those things are real. The desire for redemption drives you.Collection: Perseverance
If you put your mind to anything that you dream, you can achieve it.Collection: Dream
Anything is possible as long as you want it, you work for it. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, the only person that can really put pressure on you is yourselfCollection: Thinking
I would visualize the best- and worst-case scenarios. Whether I get disqualified or my goggles fill up with water or I lose my goggles or I come in last, I'm ready for anything.Collection: Sports
Every day is different and every day brings something more exciting.Collection: Different
So many people along the way,whatever it is you aspire to do, will tell you it can't be done. But it all it takes is imagination. You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there no limits.Collection: Dream
When I'm focused, there is not one single thing, person, anything that can stand in the way of my doing something. There is not. If I want something bad enough, I feel I'm gonna get there.Collection: Want Something
Our time on Earth is already short enough. For me, it's like every single day I try to be as happy as I can. It's crazy to think about. We never have enough time. That's always the thing. We always want to do more. So it's about being able to spend time on the things that are most important to you. Life is a lot easier that way, and obviously life is pretty difficult a lot of the time.Collection: Crazy
Dream as big as you can dream, and anything is possible.Collection: Dream
I have had extreme ups and downs. The biggest thing I learned after I broke my wrist is to never give up. Nothing in life will ever come easy. It depends on how you deal with those obstacles and how you overcome those obstacles. If you can overcome them, you're a stronger person. If you make mistakes along the way, as long as you never make that same mistake again, you're a successful person.Collection: Giving Up
Things can change in the blink of an eye!Collection: Eye
Records are always made to be broken no matter what they are. Anybody can do anything that they set their mind to.Collection: Broken
Nobody is going to put a limit on what I'm doing.Collection: Limits
Water has always been a large part of my life, so for me now, being a father with another child on the way, I'm just teaching some of the small things I've been able to learn - and passing that onto the younger generation. Small things like turning your faucet off when you brush your teeth, not taking a 30-minute shower when you really don't need to. So I want to teach the younger generation to spread the message and make a difference. I'm almost more excited to do this than I was to swim.Collection: Children
I finished my career the way I wanted to.Collection: Careers
I was very fortunate at a young age to learn what goal setting is and how to take time and spend it the right way. I have a lot going on now, but I want my family to have everything I had growing up and more, and yeah, for me to do that there are times when I need to jump on a plane and travel around the world in a week. But also, it's like, if I start getting burnt out, I know when I need to take a break. Your body tells you; just listen to what your heart is saying.Collection: Growing Up
One thing with me, and every goal I've had - in the sport of swimming, my mother didn't know my goals. The only person that knew my goals were my coaches.Collection: Sports
The problem with heart disease is the first symptom is often fatal.Collection: Heart
I feel like Aaron brings out the best in meCollection: Motivational
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 wayCollection: Motivational
I don't want to be the next Mark Spitz; I want to be the first Michael PhelpsCollection: Swimming
I'm fortunate to have an amazing, strong mother who is so supportive of everything me and my sisters did growing up - but she was someone who never forced us to go swim or to go do this or that. She helped us think about certain consequences when we needed to, but we made our own decisions. I think if I were forced to swim, I wouldn't have stayed in the pool as long as I did.Collection: Mother
There's such a high stigma around talking about your feelings or insecurities because, especially for men, we don't want to show that "weakness." But I'm always like, "OK, what would you rather do: Show weakness and get better, or continue to get worse and who knows where that leads?" There's something behind the suicide rate continuing to climb year after year. Why don't we ask for help?Collection: Suicide
[Phelps] firmly denies that he takes drugs, suggesting that the notorious photo of him smoking from a bong was a one-time lapse of judgment.Collection: Weed
If I want to achieve the goals I've set, I've got to be in tip-top shape.Collection: Goal