I don't regret the way I approached things, because otherwise I wouldn't have achieved what I did, but when I look back, I could have enjoyed things more.
— Alun Wyn Jones
Welsh rugby has done its dirty washing in public. It's nothing new. We're a tribal bunch. If warring parties want to sway public opinion, they do it in the public arena.
There's always a team behind the team. We've got our off-field guys looking after us.
A bugbear of mine is bragging rights in regional derbies: it would be a lot more worth to the regional game if we did something special in European rugby.
I always want to be first.
I like to think I am a happy angry person, if that makes sense.
There's always going to be questions asked where there is competition, and as long as you can answer those questions, then you're deserving of a place.
It is easy to overthink things, and I am good at that.
I think a global season, moving it a bit towards summer, can only be a good thing from a playing and commercial point of view, but it would take a massive shift, and I do not know if it would happen in my career.
It really gets my back up when people start using business phrases - 'sustainability,' 'the brand,' etc. - about rugby.
For me, representing Wales really was a dream.
I've got it all: I'm good-looking, I'm educated, I can sing, and I can play rugby. Ridiculous, isn't it?
Some losses are harder to take than others. You can lose and play well. It is when you lose and don't do the things you worked on and don't do what you say you would that is difficult.
I wear my stripes on my sleeve, and I am not afraid to show them.
A draw is the lesser of two evils. A loss or a draw, then obviously we are going to take the draw.
Losing hurts, it always hurts, and it should hurt.
There are always going to be questions asked when there is competition. As long as you can answer those questions, then you are deserving of a place.
We are very conscious of our poor record against the SANZAR nations. We've simply not done well enough against New Zealand or South Africa.
I'm in no position to tell a fan how to support us. What I'd say is keep doing what you're doing; it means a lot to the team.
When it comes to talking about beating certain teams, we can be narrow-minded when we need to look at the bigger picture.
I am competitive because it is fun, a mentality thing, and it is something you have to be in this job.
You're as good as your next game, not your previous, so I'll focus on the next one.
I do not know if I will stay in the game when I do retire; I have got humanity, so I do not know if I will go into law.
I would like to think I am well aware of what the Lions are about and what they represent, but out of respect for your body and the players who are putting up their hands to be selected, you keep it at arm's length.
I am a big believer that change is good.
It's great having a good academy, but if you can't pay the players you're producing, what's the point of it?
People often ask whether you'd alter anything about your life. I can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing.
You cannot expect teams to be up for a final every Saturday, but you have to in the Six Nations, and that is the difficulty we have.
Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser.
I've no regrets. I don't think you can afford to.
My wife says to me, 'You have achieved a lot'... yeah, I do know. But... there are a couple of things I haven't.
Things come and go - there's win, losses, and injuries, but you get back on the horse - but I appreciate what I've done more.
I'm not the only one that's joined in the Maro Itoje song, to be honest with you!
I'd love to feature for the Barbarians. I'd love to win a Champions Cup, and I'd love to get to another World Cup and make a fist of it: get to a World Cup final at least and see what could have been, particularly after 2011 when Wales reached the semi-finals.
What you put in, you usually get out. If you are not good enough on the day, fine, but if you put in everything you have, you usually get a decent result. When you lose, it motivates you to go again, not dwell on the past.
I am paid to play, and the coaches are paid to plan, and that is what they have to do.
I am proud of being a bad loser. Bad losers are winners. That is the way it should be.
You're not going to please everyone, but then, it's not about pleasing people: it's about winning rugby games.
I never counted on playing rugby: I was just another fat kid chasing an egg. It has gone pretty well.
I find it hard to believe that anyone could be playing regularly and saying they do not have a niggle. It is the nature of the beast, what you get when you play a lot of rugby: you have to get another niggle to forget about the one you already have.
There are real people on the pitch. We're not commodities. Well, maybe we are to some degree, but it's the team which creates business. Some people don't appreciate that.
Ultimately I'm the captain, but if someone can't get themselves in the right state to play, it's not my job. If they don't want to come into work determined to be the best they can be, they're in the wrong job.
We don't want Welsh rugby to be seen as healthy or upbeat. If we think that, we could become complacent or stagnate.
I'm thankful for the collaboration between the WRU and Ospreys, which will look after my best interests and enables me to play the best rugby possible.
You have to be competitive in the job I am in.
Going out there as a forward can shorten your career somewhat, whereas if you go out as a back, you will be OK.
I'm very fortunate I've got a good support network.
