Quotes from Dan O'Brien

I didn't get a ton of interest from colleges in baseball and football, but I was outstanding in track and had the sense that this would be my meal ticket... Track was a sport where I saw immediate improvement, and I had a lot of good support behind me... and the coaches had a lot of experience and pushed me in that direction for sure.

I was a good decathlete until I got with a coach that really knew how to train specifically for the event... I'd really describe it as like being a juggler; you have ten balls and you're trying to get them all in the air at the same time.

If you never give up, you'll be successful.

When first starting to work with someone you try to get them in the same mindset that you were in when you were successful, and I realized the best thing you can ever do is realize that they are not you. They have a different persona and mindset, and you have to figure out what works best within your communication with that athlete.

Nowadays, to be a good world-ranked decathlete, you need to be good at everything.

You can only look forward to a South Dakota winter if, as with childbirth, remodeling a house, or writing a novel, you're able to forget how bad it was the last time.

when profound questions are asked of the heart, the answers are best kept to yourself.

The gyrfalcon Dan flew that day was a bird of the year who was just learning to hunt. When he brought her out, I shook my head at the size of her. She was massive; Dan had aptly named her Jabba the Hut. As with all falcons, female gyrfalcons are a third larger than the males. ... She thought that she was a person and treated Dan as her mate.This gave new meaning to the term henpecked.

The final payment for America's cheap food of the last century is still outstanding.

These are good people out here,' he said. 'Most honest people in the world. They wouldn't lie to you for anything.' He shook his head. 'But they'll lie to themselves every time.

I think what my parents did was perfect. They were strict, concerned about my safety and held me back just a little.

When first starting to work with someone you try to get them in the same mindset that you were in when you were successful, and I realized the best thing you can ever do is realize that they are not you. They have a different persona and mindset, and you have to figure out what works best within your communication with that athlete.

It really means a lot that I won the gold medal - but I woke up the next morning expecting to feel different. I felt the same.

The function of a financial system is to channel money from people who have it but want to save it to people who don't have it but want to spend it. ... In Ireland, as in most European countries, the banking system is the most important conduit for channelling money from savers to investors.