"So as an amateur Olympic competitor I loved criticism, because it made me better. But now as a professional I don't really know how to channel it or where to take it, so I don't take it quite as well."

"I graduated a the top of my class in the '84 Olympic Games; I won a gold medal."

"But I never really thought that I would be extraordinarily successful at skating, it's just something that happened, you know."

"From the fall of October, 1980 to March, 1984 I never lost a competition."

"I'm very accessible. I don't get into this ego thing."

"I just try to touch people's hearts in a way through skating, so they're not just witnessing a performance, they're feeling a performance and they're a part of it."

"Adversity, and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless."

"And the fact that I liked to show off and be the center of attention really lends itself to figure skating very well."

"I don't think most teachers realize how much impact they have."

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."

"Without strength and courage it's really hard to perform at the highest levels of international figure skating, because you're alone on the ice and you only have seven minutes over two nights to prove yourself."

"Half of figure skating is opinion, convincing judges."

"When you're expected to win and you have the press saying that you are going to win the Olympic gold medal, and you're the only sure thing in the Olympics, it can undermine your confidence."

"Fame is a very confusing thing, because you are recognized by a lot of people that you've never seen before, and they're at a great advantage."

"Most other competitions are individual achievements, but the Olympic Games is something that belongs to everybody."

"I was nine-years-old when I first put on skates."

"I didn't want to be the sissy figure skater, you know."

"When you turn professional, you become an entertainer, and like every other entertainer, you don't want to get a bad review."

"Everything that I've ever been able to accomplish in skating and in life has come out of adversity and perseverance."

"Always try to maintain complete tolerance and always make an effort to give people more than they expect."

"Male figure skating is different than female figure skating; we're not America's sweetheart."

"I was more interested in skating and the girls and traveling than I was in calculus."

"The high road is always respected. Honesty and integrity are always rewarded."

"What was really funny is that as I got older all those guys who called me a sissy in junior high school wanted me to be their best friend because they wanted to meet all the girls that I knew in figure skating."