Quotes By Michael Phelps

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

My mom put me and my sisters in the water to feel comfortable, to have water safety.

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

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.

My goal is one Olympic gold medal. Not many people in this world can say, 'I'm an Olympic gold medalist.'

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 always thought, it would be neat to make the Olympic team.

I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.

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

I believe in God; I'm not saying I'm highly religious.

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.

I consider myself normal. I've spent 20 years in the pool. I consider that something that's normal.

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.

I try to separate my personal life from swimming.

It's cool just because I've had this dream of changing the sport of swimming and it's finally happening.

I won't predict anything historic. But nothing is impossible.

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.

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 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.

I've been able to get an excitement back in the water.

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 got the stamina. I can close.

I feel most at home in the water. I disappear. That's where I belong.

I am 26 and, and I don't recover as fast as I have in the past.

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.

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.

Why is it such a big deal what I'm swimming?

The more you dream the more you achieve.

I used to always go to church on holidays, but I don't go much any more.

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.