Shawn Johnson Quotes

It might have been easier to retire, to say my knee couldn't handle it and let that be that. At the same time, the prospect of not being able to compete in gymnastics anymore was heartbreaking.

— Shawn Johnson

“I had surgery to repair the ACL in February 2010 and was back in the gym by June, but rushed things too quickly and ended up re-tearing my MCL in September.”

— Shawn Johnson

I'm doing four hours of gymnastics training a day, six days a week and then an extra two to three hours in a fitness center as well.

— Shawn Johnson

“I've never had a teammate competing with me my whole life.”

— Shawn Johnson

Stay strong. Stand up. Have a voice.

— Shawn Johnson

“I'm trying to stay as calm as possible and focus one day at a time, but when reality sets in, I feel everything: anxiety, excitement, nerves, pressure and joy.”

— Shawn Johnson

“Everything is about your movements and precision and timing, which is what gymnastics is about.”

— Shawn Johnson

Injury taught me I need to learn how to face challenges.

— Shawn Johnson

After 13 years of hard landings in gymnastics, one ski run had delivered the biggest injury of my career.

— Shawn Johnson

“Retiring was scary and it was tough to give up gymnastics, but so many great opportunities have come from it that I never expected.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I was at the Olympic Games winning medals and I still doubted my image. I doubted what I looked like. That's sad.”

— Shawn Johnson

I started from zero and went back to the basics in gymnastics.

— Shawn Johnson

Gymnastics is so complex.

— Shawn Johnson

“With literature, sometimes a book is presented in the media as being say, a Muslim story or an African story, when essentially it's a universal story which we can all relate to it, no matter what race or social background we come from.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I live for Pilates reformer class. I go at least three times a week. It's a great way to lengthen your muscles, stretch, and kind of relax your mind.”

— Shawn Johnson

I have a healthy lifestyle, but there's nothing you can really do to prevent from rolling an ankle or something like that.

— Shawn Johnson

“The body is an amazing machine ... If you eat the right things your body will perform incredibly well!”

— Shawn Johnson

“A comeback in gymnastics is almost impossible in itself.”

— Shawn Johnson

“People put too much emphasis on looks.”

— Shawn Johnson

“When I was 3 my parents put me in gymnastics because I was a bundle of energy and they just didn't know what to do with me! They put me in a Tots class and I just fell in love with it.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I'm pleased to say my knee feels a lot better. It's still not back to normal, and I don't know if it ever will be, but I'm learning to deal with it instead of expecting it to be like it was before.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I had a constant fear, a constant little doubt in my mind: 'OK, I'm getting ready to do my standing back full on beam and I might re-tear my ACL.'”

— Shawn Johnson

I didn't make it a priority, and as a result my knee didn't heal to the extent it should have.

— Shawn Johnson

“I don't want to be all power and muscle.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I fell in love with running, and I finally have time to do it now.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I get less and less sleep these days, so when I have any down time all I want to do is sleep!”

— Shawn Johnson

“To finish off this whole Olympics by finally getting the gold medal, it's the best feeling in the world.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I was able to do Classics, the U.S. national championships and the Pan American Games and feel like I improved with each meet, but I was still struggling with a lot of residual pain from the two surgeries.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I think about my goals. There were a lot of times in gymnastics when I really didn't want to go in and train, but you can't make it to the Olympics if you don't train!”

— Shawn Johnson

“My other life keeps me calm and grounded and normal.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I told myself after 2008 that I was done for good. But they say you can't keep a gymnast away from her sport.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I pay attention to my diet to be a healthier gymnast, but I'm not obsessive over it.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I still can't believe I'm an Olympic athlete.”

— Shawn Johnson

Of course, when you're training your whole life to get to the Olympics, you train for gold.

— Shawn Johnson

“I always feel like I'm the young one, I'm the small one.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I know how much more I need to do to be where I want.”

— Shawn Johnson

“It's about putting in the hours and going through the paces.”

— Shawn Johnson

“A typical practice consists of practicing every event for about an hour. A lot of people assume I have private coaching, but I work out with 13 other girls at the gym!”

— Shawn Johnson

“Every year I just kept going back to gymnastics, but I didn't start out training 10 hours a day. When I turned 10 or 11, I got more serious and I focused a lot on making it to the elite level, and from there I just kept going.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I missed being considered an athlete and having that competitive drive, and missed having something to work for every day. I'd taken two and a half years away from the sport and was out of shape. I wanted to get back to where I was in 2008.”

— Shawn Johnson

“It sounds funny, but the 2008 Olympics were something that just kind of happened, and I was lucky they came at a point when I was uninjured and well prepared. As a gymnast, you can't ask for much more.”

— Shawn Johnson

“As long as you've done your best, making mistakes doesn't matter. You and I are human; we will mess up. What counts is learning from your mistakes and getting back up when life has knocked you down.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I don't call them sacrifices. I call them exchanges.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I think it's important for girls at a young age to be involved in as many things as possible. Especially safe communities of people that teach them great life lessons like self-confidence and courage. And getting girls to go to camp especially in the summer where they can meet new friends, learn new things, and not just sit at home and watch TV.”

— Shawn Johnson

“I don't think I've ever not gotten nervous. When you work so hard for one special day or routine, you want to perform it better than you ever have. We always say at our gym, If you lose the nerves, you lose the sport.”

— Shawn Johnson

Gymnastics is not only a good thing to live by, but it is important to understand how it does help you in life.

— Shawn Johnson

“Gymnastics has made me strong. I feel like it broke me down to my lowest point, but at the same time, it has given me the greatest strength anyone could ask for.”

— Shawn Johnson

“Image isn't everything, It's what comes from your heart, and what you learn and what you say and how you act that means more than anything.”

— Shawn Johnson

In 2008 I didn't take it all in enough. I was so wrapped up in just the competition that I missed what was going on around me. If I am given that opportunity again to go to the Olympics and be an athlete I want to take it all in because I feel like this is my last shot and I want to feel the team spirit. I want to really live and breathe the USA.

— Shawn Johnson

“Well-I don't know if anyone would really ask me to prom.”

— Shawn Johnson