Top 156 Quotes & Sayings by Michael Phelps

Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American athlete Michael Phelps.
Last updated on September 17, 2024.
Michael Phelps

Michael Fred Phelps II is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold medals (23), Olympic gold medals in individual events (13), and Olympic medals in individual events (16). When Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, he broke fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven first-place finishes at any single Olympic Games. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Phelps already tied the record of eight medals of any color at a single Games by winning six gold and two bronze medals. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Phelps won four gold and two silver medals, and at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won five gold medals and one silver. This made him the most successful athlete of the Games for the fourth Olympics in a row.

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.
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 learned how fast you can go from being an international hero to being a reference in a joke on a late night talk show. — © Michael Phelps
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.
I want to go to the World Cup. I want to go to the Masters. I want to go... anywhere.
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.
Swimming is normal for me. I'm relaxed. I'm comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It's my home.
Every day after I wake up, I think, 'Wait... this can't be real; I'm still going to wake up.'
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'm so sick of the water.
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.
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 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.
I live a pretty conservative life, so I probably really haven't done anything crazy.
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.
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. — © Michael Phelps
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.
I can't remember the last day I didn't train.
I try to separate my personal life from swimming.
Yeah, my friends call me Mike, Michael or just my last name.
I listen to music before my competitions to get me pumped up. It helps me stay focused.
I feel most at home in the water. I disappear. That's where I belong.
I want to test my maximum and see how much I can do. And I want to change the world of swimming.
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 can only control my own performance. If I do my best, then I can feel good at the end of the day.
I won't predict anything historic. But nothing is impossible.
You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.
I'm the same kind of guy before all this happened.
I got the stamina. I can close.
I'm a Dunkin' Donuts kind of guy. I also like Cadbury's.
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.
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.
I've never lifted a single weight in my life.
It's cool just because I've had this dream of changing the sport of swimming and it's finally happening.
I always thought, it would be neat to make the Olympic team.
My goal is one Olympic gold medal. Not many people in this world can say, 'I'm an Olympic gold medalist.'
Any Olympic sport is great to watch.
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.
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 am 26 and, and I don't recover as fast as I have in the past. — © Michael Phelps
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.
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.
Every sponsor I've had has been something that fit my lifestyle, fit my personality.
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 think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.
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.
The more you dream the more you achieve.
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.
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.
Once I retire, I'm retiring. I'm done.
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.
I've been able to get an excitement back in the water. — © Michael Phelps
I've been able to get an excitement back in the water.
I used to always go to church on holidays, but I don't go much any more.
My mom put me and my sisters in the water to feel comfortable, to have water safety.
I believe in God; I'm not saying I'm highly religious.
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.
If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do.
Why is it such a big deal what I'm swimming?
I consider myself normal. I've spent 20 years in the pool. I consider that something that's normal.
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.
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.
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