Quotes from Laurie Hernandez

I knew when I started gymnastics, I wanted to have a lot of fun and eventually go to the Olympics. On the moments where I felt really down, I just remembered, 'You're almost there. Just keep going. Keep working hard.'

I don't think that being Hispanic, being black, being white - I don't think that limits you to anything. I think everyone should just go for what they want.

When I was a little kid, I don't remember looking up and seeing so many Hispanic athletes out there.

People have seen me at my best, but I don't think most of them know everything that it took to get me to where I am today.

I don't see it as pressure at all. I see it as such an honor to just in some sort of way represent Puerto Rico and Hispanics and all the girls out there.

My athlete idol is Usain Bolt. He's inhumanly fast!

I think I still like science and art better, but geometry is a big improvement over algebra.

My first week at 'DWTS' was amazing! I definitely fangirled when I walked into the ballroom because I looked at all the judges and where they were sitting, and I was like, 'Wow, that's the official judges' table!'

I do like writing. When I was a little kid, I used to love writing funny, silly stories - and my mom would always encourage it. I don't know why I ever stopped!

I'm glad to be partnered with Orgullosa because I feel that now that I'm able to win a gold medal at the Olympics, win a silver medal, I feel little girls will be able to look up to me, and Hispanics will kind of rise a little more.

I hope I can help inspire people to go for their dreams.

Through my life, I do want to inspire others.

When I was a little kid, I looked up to other people, so I hope that I can inspire little kids.

If you want to train hard enough to go to the Olympics, then you're going to go out, and you're going to do it. It doesn't matter what skin color or who you are.

We're all different, so even though someone is getting a skill before you, it doesn't mean that you're not good enough; it just means you have to wait a little bit, and the skill will come when it comes.

Basically, I was a little bit nervous before competing beam at the Olympics, and I had this nervous thing to just talk to myself, like 'You can do it, you can do it.' And right before I hopped up there, I said, 'I got this.'

My mother was in the Army Reserve for six years. She taught me the importance of following rules, finishing what I start, never giving up, leadership skills, teamwork, staying positive, motivated and how to pack the military way when I'm traveling!

The thing that makes me feel the most confident is definitely my smile. I like that my smile and my facial expressions really show what I'm feeling, and my smile is the best way to show that I'm happy.

Dancing is so much fun.

Since kindergarten, I was the shortest kid in class. They always put me toward the front in school pictures, because you couldn't see me if I was in the back. It was kind of funny.

As an athlete, the most important thing is the protein that you eat and the things that you put into your body. Without that, it's very hard to function throughout the day.

Homeschooling is great because it's extremely lenient, and so if there's a day I come home from practice and mentally, I'm just exhausted, I can actually just save the test for the next day if I really have to.

I am extremely close to my grandma. Growing up, she would always do my hair; she was always the one who would make me chocolate milk or rice when I came home.

I definitely take it as a really big responsibility on my shoulders to make sure I'm motivating my generation and the people around me and, hopefully, inspire people to try something new.