I basically have my life today as a result of what I did as a child. What did I miss out on? Yeah, I missed not hanging out at shopping malls, I guess, but that is not a big deal because you don't get a medal for that.
Nadia ComaneciRead
My mother never watched me train in Romania. She wasn't allowed, it just wasn't done back then. My training was paid for by the government. My parents were not at the Olympics with me, either. I never expected them to be.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the absence of parental support during the speaker's training and achievements.
Nadia Comaneci reflects on her journey as an Olympic gymnast, noting the cultural norms of her time that limited parental involvement in her training. Despite the lack of presence from her family during critical moments, she expresses a realization that their absence did not diminish her determination or expectations regarding their support.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech highlighting the importance of perseverance in the absence of support.
I basically have my life today as a result of what I did as a child. What did I miss out on? Yeah, I missed not hanging out at shopping malls, I guess, but that is not a big deal because you don't get a medal for that.
If I was a boy, nobody would care that I worked out six, seven hours a day when I was 9 years old, no? Why were people always saying 'poor little girl?' I liked to work out and always did more than I was asked to.
I have had a few turning points, the first day I entered a gymnastics school at age 6.
I didn't realize that winning the Olympics at age 14 automatically put me in the category of being a celebrity.
I think that when you are on a four-inch balance beam, you don't care about laughing or smiling or waving to the crowd because you're going to be down in a second.
Maybe that's why I like gymnastics - because I like to fly.
Some parents place undue priority on temporal and material possessions. Some are far less diligent in their efforts to immerse their children in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember that having religious observance in the home is as important as providing food, clothing and shelter.
My dad wasn't a power hitter, and I didn't think I'd be a power hitter because the person I wanted to be like was him, and he was the one that taught me to play the game.
It's interesting that I had such a close relationship with my grandfather. Because your parents always judge you: they say, 'You shouldn't do this, you shouldn't do that.' But with your grandparents you have a feeling that you can say anything or you can do anything, and they will support you. That's why you have this kind of connection.
I made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But all I want in this world is for my kids to say, 'He was a Hall of Fame dad.'
Any sane person would have left long ago. But I cannot. I have my sons.
I believe in imagination. I did Kramer vs Kramer before I had children. But the mother I would be was already inside me.
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