Watching people react, watching people be inspired, be taken on a journey, forgetting their problems, looking ahead in their own lives to doing impossible things. That's kind of what drives me, gives me a sense of focus.
Knowing how to swim doesn't come from someone else showing you or someone else telling you or watching movies of other people swimming. It comes from having been in the water, knowing how to move yourself through the water and not sink. And it's true of virtually everything in our lives: knowing comes from direct experience.
Fear of failure, it's the greatest motivational tool. It drives me and drives me and drives me.
I have a certain curiosity for life that drives me and propels me forward.
The most important thing for me is having a relationship with God. To know that the owner, the creator of the universe loves you, sent His Son to die for your sins; that's very empowering. Knowing Him and knowing that He loves me gives me encouragement and confidence to move forward.
You meet a lot of people [in Dubai] coming from a lot of different places. Even me, I'm always in transit. I don't stay anywhere too long. I like the energy that I found when I came here the first time. I start knowing people, and people start knowing me as well.
It's never been just about me. It's about my grandparents who used to drive me to swim practice. My dad who - on his one day to sleep in - would take me to swim meets. My mom and my sisters who would massage my aching shoulders when I was little There have been so many people who have believed in me when I didn't believe in myself.
I've always been very attentive to detail. It's a characteristic that drives some people crazy. But on the other hand, when people around me are sloppy, that drives me crazy.
What gives me strength and inspires me is never to go back to where I once was. My inspiration is to see my son as he admires me and knowing that I have someone there who depends on me. I have to do things right. I have to move forward.
They say fish should swim thrice * * * first it should swim in the sea (do you mind me?) then it should swim in butter, and at last, sirrah, it should swim in good claret.
Yeah. And it was too much of what you shouldn’t be doing instead of what you should be doing. I get enraged when people start telling other people how to live their lives. It drives me mental. This Prop.8 thing just drives me mental
If somebody, without knowing me, comes up to me and wants to upset or belittle me, I think that reflects badly on them, not me... if you're ever unsure of what to call me or someone like me, my name always does well.
Passion is what drives me forward. Passion is what makes me go to bed at 2am and wake up at 6am.
A lot of people have been saying I am obsessed with the "making history" thing. But it's what pushes me, it's what drives me, it's a huge boost knowing that I am going to be the first. There's a long list of Olympic champions that have become world champions, but none of them are from England.
It had never occurred to me that my colour - or lack of it - was an issue for some people, but then I moved to Sydney, and apparently it was. People look at me and don't see what they think is a typical Aboriginal. Thankfully, my mother raised me well in knowing where I come from and who I am, and I'm proud of that.
I find stuff written about me is in stark contrast to who I am. But I can sleep well at night knowing that I did my best - I'm looking forward to my next chapter, whatever that is.