Quotes from Mark Spitz

When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the mustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it - and everybody was talking about it - that I decided to keep it.

So in my mind I own a lot of house records still.

There are times I might coach one or two workouts a year when the regular coach gets caught in traffic.

We all love to win, but how many people love to train?

One of the most difficult things for people who have been successful in sports is adapting to the daily world where you can't get an answer from someone until 5 o'clock tomorrow. There is always an excuse. Living 40 or 50 years like that doesn't get too exciting after a while.

Everyone loves to be loved.

By making a comeback, I'm changing the attitude of people toward me. If I'd known that people would react so enthusiastically, I'd have done it years ago.

In my day, at 12 years old, which was 38 years ago, we worked out in summer months for two and a half hours. Today someone in that age group might work out for four hours, two hours in the morning and two at night.

The memories of the Munich games for me are of triumph and tragedy.

Do any exercise you want as long as you're willing to do it. You see gym equipment on TV advertisements all the time, but guess what? It's only good if you actually use it.

I always wanted to be a dentist from the time I was in high school, and I was accepted to dental school in the spring of 1972. I was planning to go, but after the Olympics there were other opportunities.

I'm at the depot, and I'm not going anywhere. That's better to deal with than having to deal with the unknown. And the unknown is they don't want to fail. They don't want to pay the price unless there's a guarantee they're going to get there.

Because a known fact is better than an unknown fact.

My biggest loss was the Olympics. I just can't forget losing. I never will.

As a kid, chess was the first thing I studied in a structured way that helped me gain the discipline to study medicine and become successful doctor.

If you have a lane, you have a chance.

By making a comeback, I'm changing the attitude of people toward me. If I'd known that people would react so enthusiastically, I'd have done it years ago.

The pool is terrible, but that doesn't have much to do with my record swims. That's all mental attitude.

One of the most difficult things for people who have been successful in sports is adapting to the daily world where you can't get an answer from someone until 5 o'clock tomorrow. There is always an excuse. Living 40 or 50 years like that doesn't get too exciting after a while.

In my day, at 12 years old, which was 38 years ago, we worked out in summer months for two and a half hours. Today someone in that age group might work out for four hours, two hours in the morning and two at night.

We all love to win, but how many people love to train?

I just tried to keep my cool and continue with my race plan: to win.

If you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail.

Swimming isn't everything, winning is.