Manti Te'o Quotes

“Ray Lewis, I've grown up watching Ray Lewis. Just watching his intensity, his passion for the game, his love for the game, his work ethic. Everything in a linebacker that you want to be is in Ray Lewis, from leadership qualities, all that.”

— Manti Te'o

“For me, the greatest fault would be to tell somebody something I'm not.”

— Manti Te'o

The NFL is my goal, not my dream. My dream is to have an impact on people.

— Manti Te'o

“As long as my family's OK, I'll be fine.”

— Manti Te'o

“I think I've learned the difference between the things I can control and the things I can't control. And hopefully, by doing the things I can control well, I'll have more favor in the other category.”

— Manti Te'o

“The reason why I love to win is because I don't have to go through that feeling of losing. It's those times where I lose that feeling that will stick with me.”

— Manti Te'o

“Ever since I was young, if somebody needs help, you help them out.”

— Manti Te'o

“I think what I bring to the table is a lot of heart, a lot of energy, and somebody that works hard. Somebody who hates to lose.”

— Manti Te'o

“My girlfriend always told me, 'Send roses while they can still smell them, tell people you love them while they can still hear.'”

— Manti Te'o

“I'd just say you hurt me and you hurt me only because you involved my family. But after that I'd say 'hey draw nearer to your family because that's exactly what I did.'”

— Manti Te'o

“I'm proud of this guy. I really am. And nothing that has happened in the last couple of weeks is gonna take that away. He's not a liar. He's a kid. He's a 21-year-old kid trying to be a man and I love him. I really do”

— Manti Te'o

“Part of me was saying if you say that she's alive, what would everybody think? What are you gonna tell everybody who follow you, who you've inspired? What are you going to say? And on that time on December 8th two days after I just found out that she's alive. As a 21-year-old I wasn't ready for that.”

— Manti Te'o

“It was a conversation that I didn't want to have with my parents to say mom and dad I missed my flight ...”

— Manti Te'o

“No far from it. Faaaaarrr from that.”

— Manti Te'o

“He just explained that he just wanted to help people and that was his way of helping people of, you know, being someone that he wasn't and trying to connect with somebody on a different level too and help 'em out.”

— Manti Te'o

“I want my teammates to understand that when No. 5 says something to you, that means it's very important because he doesn't talk a lot. If I'm saying something to you, it's going to help you.”

— Manti Te'o

“Ever since I was young I understood the whole meaning of life isn't how much money you accumulate, how much fame you experience, it's how many lives you touch, how many faces you bring smiles to. I see myself back in Hawaii doing something in the community to improve the lives of young children. Everything I've done is to prepare myself to give back.”

— Manti Te'o

“To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating.”

— Manti Te'o