Top 20 Quotes & Sayings by Manti Te'o

The NFL is my goal, not my dream. My dream is to have an impact on people.

As long as my family's OK, I'll be fine.

I think I've learned the difference between the things I can control and the things I can't control. And hopefully, by doing the things I can control well, I'll have more favor in the other category.

Ray Lewis, I've grown up watching Ray Lewis. Just watching his intensity, his passion for the game, his love for the game, his work ethic. Everything in a linebacker that you want to be is in Ray Lewis, from leadership qualities, all that.

The reason why I love to win is because I don't have to go through that feeling of losing. It's those times where I lose that feeling that will stick with me.

I think what I bring to the table is a lot of heart, a lot of energy, and somebody that works hard. Somebody who hates to lose.

Ever since I was young, if somebody needs help, you help them out.

For me, the greatest fault would be to tell somebody something I'm not.

Things happen. And good things happen, and bad things happen. And I'm a person - I'm a believer that everything happens for a reason.

It was a conversation that I didn't want to have with my parents to say mom and dad I missed my flight.

Part of me was saying if you say that she's alive, what would everybody think? What are you going to tell everybody who followed you, who you've inspired? What are you going to say? I was scared. That's the truth. I was just scared, and I didn't know what to do.

No far from it. Faaaaarrr from that.

I'd just say you hurt me and you hurt me only because you involved my family. But after that I'd say 'hey draw nearer to your family because that's exactly what I did.'

I want my teammates to understand that when No. 5 says something to you, that means it's very important because he doesn't talk a lot. If I'm saying something to you, it's going to help you.

He just explained that he just wanted to help people and that was his way of helping people of, you know, being someone that he wasn't and trying to connect with somebody on a different level too and help 'em out.

You never know what kind of impact you can have on someone by just saying hello.

To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating.

My girlfriend always told me, 'Send roses while they can still smell them, tell people you love them while they can still hear.'

Ever since I was young I understood the whole meaning of life isn't how much money you accumulate, how much fame you experience, it's how many lives you touch, how many faces you bring smiles to. I see myself back in Hawaii doing something in the community to improve the lives of young children. Everything I've done is to prepare myself to give back.

I'm proud of this guy. I really am. And nothing that has happened in the last couple of weeks is gonna take that away. He's not a liar. He's a kid. He's a 21-year-old kid trying to be a man and I love him. I really do