Quotes from Kristi Yamaguchi

As a teenager especially, I just wanted to do my thing and not be noticed.

Childhood reading is so important.

Now, I am thrilled to be a wife and mother, and I hope to be as good of a mother as my own mother, Carole.

The good feeling I get from contributing rivals anything I felt on the Olympic stand in Albertville.

Probably a few weeks after I was born I started having casts put on my legs to straighten them out. After that corrective shoes and with a brace in between.

Every day, someone realizes a dream. I believe dreams help light our darkness and give us the push we need to move across the rink of life.

I feel like I missed out on the regular high school social life, but that's the way I chose to be.

There are two or three performances in your life that are absolutely on, where all the planets are lined up for you and you feel you're invincible.

One of my mottos not only just in skating but in life in general and I try to enforce it as well, is like no regrets and just like going for it.

In terms of my career, having the gold definitely changed my life. The Olympics are different, you know? They're every four years and it's such a small group.

Dorothy Hamill was my big idol as a kid. She'd won the Olympics in 1976. She was America's sweetheart with her personality, her talent, her haircut.

I've always worked closely with the designers and whoever's making the costumes. Comfort is the last thing you want on your mind when you're competing. In an ideal situation, you'll have something where you'll put it on and you're fine and you don't have to worry about it at all.

I'm kind of a homebody. My husband says I like to just stay home and do nothing, but that's just how I am.

I learned to put 100 percent into what you're doing. I learned about setting goals for yourself, knowing where you want to be and taking small steps toward those goals. I learned about adversity and how to get past it.

I didn't want to skate for someone else or for certain marks.

Figure skaters have awful perceptions of hockey players.

Skating was something I really wanted to do; my parents knew nothing about it. They said they'd support me as long as I was trying my hardest and enjoying it.

The past couple years training with Kurt have really brought inspiration into my skating.

I burnt myself out of skating. I was ready to focus on being a mom.

I've realized how precious life is. When I was younger, I was more adventurous. I felt invincible. I was game for everything. As a mom, I don't want to get injured because then I can't take care of my kids.

Being an athlete, you know how to train and prepare your body for a performance and you're able to do it under pressure.

They say, once you have a child, your heart is forever outside your body. I totally understand that now.

Before turning pro, I would never have just left my skates sitting in the locker room unattended.

As a professional, I think we're not being judged solely on technical ability anymore. People really want to be entertained and enjoy what they're watching.