I think sometimes I guess you see records, say you want to get there and use that as motivation. In a way, it's kind of cool if there is a possibility to rewrite history and be up there with the greats of Olympic history.
— Michael Phelps
I wouldn't say anything is impossible. I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it.
I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it. I think your mind really controls everything.
I want to test my maximum and see how much I can do. And I want to change the world of swimming.
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.
If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do.
If I didn't swim my best, I'd think about it at school, at dinner, with my friends. It would drive me crazy.
There were times I wouldn't come to practice, because it didn't excite me. It wasn't interesting. I was kind of going through the motions.
Swimming is normal for me. I'm relaxed. I'm comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It's my home.
I'm the same kind of guy before all this happened.
Every day after I wake up, I think, 'Wait... this can't be real; I'm still going to wake up.'
There is a one woman in China that claimed she paid $50 to get my e-mail address. It was pretty shocking. I got one this morning from Scotland. A girl's requesting a signed photo of me.
I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.
I won't predict anything historic. But nothing is impossible.
Once I'm already in my room, I still have to open a door to get into my bed. It's like a giant box. It's like the boy in a bubble.
My goal is one Olympic gold medal. Not many people in this world can say, 'I'm an Olympic gold medalist.'
I have the opportunity to be part of swimming history. To take the sport to a new level would be an honor for me. There's no better time to try this than now.
Being compared to Ian Thorpe, that could be one of the greatest compliments you could ever get in swimming - being compared to him and Mark Spitz.
I always thought, it would be neat to make the Olympic team.
I have reached a place in my life where I need to sit down and say, 'Well, what do I do? What's best for me?' I need to look into options for the future.
You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.
