The triumph can't be had without the struggle.

The feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of me, three Olympic gold medals. I knew that was something nobody could ever take away from me, ever.

What do you do after you are world-famous and nineteen or twenty and you have sat with prime ministers, kings and queens, the Pope? Do you go back home and take a job? What do you do to keep your sanity? You come back to the real world.

It doesn't matter what you're trying to accomplish. It's all a matter of discipline. I was determined to discover what life held for me beyond the inner-city streets.

I believe in me more than anything in this world.

My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces.

But when you come from a large, wonderful family, there's always a way to achieve your goals.