I would be disappointed if I were remembered as a runner because I feelthat my contribution to the youth of America has far exceeded the woman who was the Olympic champion

---

I tell them that the most important aspect is to be yourself and have confidence in yourself.

---

But when you come from a large, wonderful family, there's always a way to achieve your goals.

---

My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces.

---

i had a series of childhood illnesses... scarlet fever.... pneumonia.... Polio. I walked with braces until I was at least nine years old. My life wasn't like the average person who grew up and decided to enter the world of sports.

---

I'm in my prime. There's no goal too far, no mountain too high.

---

My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.

---

Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.

---

The feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of me, three Olympic gold medals. I knew that was something nobody could ever take away from me, ever.

---

Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle.

---