Quotes from Ryan Sheckler

When I was 5 years old, hanging out with my friends who were all older than me, like 8 or 9, I was joking around like, 'Yeah, when I'm 20 that's a perfect age to go pro.' That's what I had in my head. Then I turn pro at 13. It's all been a mystery and its all been awesome.

I am always hurt, but what are you going to do? I have to skate.

I skate to anything with a good beat, anything that can get me motivated.

I don't even need to do anything; I am always amped to skate. Always amped to be competing. I love competing - that's what I do. Any contest, it doesn't really take much. Just get me on the course and I'll get going.

'Thrasher' magazine's Skater of the Year is clearly my No. 1 goal. The only way I get that is skating. Other than that, I haven't set that many outrageous goals. If I got Skater of the Year, that would just really add to it all and make me feel really good. Whether it's this year, next year or five years from now, that is my goal.

I just motor through school in the morning and then go skating.

I run a lot. I do a lot of yoga. Hot yoga. Which is random and sounds lame, but it has definitely made my flexibility and balance 100 percent better on my skateboard. I do that and a lot of plyometric, biometrics, and surf. I train every other day of the week and skate for an hour everyday.

Hopefully, kids realize you can do anything you want. Skateboarding can be that gateway.

I like skateboarding. I'm here on this planet to skateboard; I feel this is what God wants me to do. I just live it. I get hurt all the time. I break bones. It's just all part of the process.

I skate a lot with my shirt off, so working out has always been important to me. I almost have as much fun working out as I do skating. And seeing your body change, and seeing yourself get bigger and more toned and cut, makes a big difference in how you feel about yourself.

I know exactly what I'm doing when I'm doing a trick. I really hate it when I fail.

The way I look at tricks is if I really have my mind set on one, I'm going to learn it until I can do it 10 or 20 times in a row. I want to perfect it.

No one can tell me what to do on my skateboard. My skateboard is my safe spot. I can learn tricks, I can have fun, I can do whatever I want on my skateboard.

It's not that I don't respect my parents' authority or appreciate all that they did for me, but when I was 18 I was able to move out, and I was out. I feel like a different person since then; I mean, it's obviously a big turning point in life. I feel like I've established myself, and I'm a smarter and more mature for it.

I barely ever watch TV, but when I do, I usually only watch MTV shows, like 'The Real World Sydney.'

Don't ever give up. You gotta keep trying, and never give up.

When I'm not skating, I love to surf. I'm open to the new experiences and opportunities.

If you go out there and your main purpose is to get a sponsor, then it's not gonna work. Just go out there and have fun. That's how I got sponsored.

I don't really have a type. I just kind of hang out with girls that I think have a good personality, know how to have fun, active and definitely have something going on in their life so they are busy so I'm not stuck all the time hanging out.

These fans are there to support me, and I'm so appreciative of that.