As a kid, falling was embarrassing. As I got older, I got used to falling and picking myself back up. There’s not a sense of failure. It’s of disappointment. You train so hard to not make mistakes. When you do, you’re learning from that. How do I improve? How do I get better for the next time? Through every failure, there’s something to be learned. Michelle Kwan Read Quote
If you represent your country and millions of people are watching, it comes through a lot of grit and hard work. Michelle Kwan Read Quote
To be the best, you need to be the most well-trained and well-prepared athlete you can be. The pressure is going to be all around you. You just have to make sure that your body and mind is fine-tuned. Then you go out there and do it. Michelle Kwan Read Quote
When I look at my own career, growing up, I was doing really well at age 11, but it was kind of isolating because back then, people weren’t hanging out with me. My mom was always there. She had my back and was like, ‘You keep focused. You gotta keep focused.’ And I think those kinds of lessons were hard. Michelle Kwan Read Quote
There were days I forgot my school clothes, and I would actually go to school with skating tights and a little skirt. It’s very embarrassing… I definitely had to be comfortable in my own skin, and my mom taught me that. Michelle Kwan Read Quote
I would encourage people to participate in sports. You don’t have to dream of being an Olympic or a professional athlete. Michelle Kwan Read Quote
As an athlete, that’s something I always take with me. You fall every day, whether it’s in a job, or you miss something else, but you learn how to do it better next time. You learn it in sports. That’s a life lesson. Michelle Kwan Read Quote
I was improving in the sport at age 10, 11, when I was getting my triple jumps – and it was suddenly very isolating. I was doing really well in competitions, and it felt strange because people that were my friends became almost jealous. Michelle Kwan Read Quote
The Olympic Games is one of those moments that you remember forever, from the moment that you step foot in the country that you’re competing in to the Closing Ceremony. Michelle Kwan Read Quote
