My goal is one Olympic gold medal. Not many people in this world can say, 'I'm an Olympic gold medalist.'
Interpretation
Michael Phelps emphasizes the uniqueness and value of achieving an Olympic gold medal.
In this quote, Michael Phelps reflects on the significance of his goal to win an Olympic gold medal, highlighting that it is a rare and prestigious achievement that few individuals can claim. He underscores the dedication and hard work required to reach such a level of excellence in sports, suggesting that the journey toward achieving such goals is what makes it meaningful.
In practice
During a motivational speech about setting ambitious goals.
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.
For so long, I looked at myself as literally a kid who was talented who would go up and down the pool. That's it. Nothing else. Very few people knew who I really was.
I don't want to be the next Mark Spitz; I want to be the first Michael Phelps
There are too many kids who are drowning for lack of water safety. That's something I'd like to do. Teaching kids to live an active lifestyle.
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 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 honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate.
There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.
The pursuit of excellence is less profitable than the pursuit of bigness, but it can be more satisfying.
We all know a variety of ways to make a living. What's even more fascinating is figuring out ways to make a fortune.
My wife determined that my genius should prevail, and that my final success as an ornithologist should be triumphant.
When I was publishing my first books, the previous generation of authors was fading away, so I was welcomed because I was a new author.
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