I would be like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I wish I could go to prom.’ But then I think, ‘You know what? A lot of people can’t say they’ve ever done what I do – they’ll never have this opportunity.’ – Simone Biles
My mom, Nellie, got me a rosary at church. I don’t use it to pray before a competition. I’ll just pray normally to myself, but I have it there in case. – Simone Biles
It’s amazing that I can inspire little kids to know that you can be short or tall, and your body type doesn’t matter because you can do anything. – Simone Biles
I started gymnastics when I was six years old. I was at day care, and they took us on a field trip to a gym club, Bannon’s Gymnastix in Houston, and that’s how I got started. – Simone Biles
The reaction of the public plays a very important role. It gives us an adrenaline boost, especially when people start to shout and clap their hands in time with the music. That really helps us to go on. – Simone Biles
If anybody has a bad day, they’ll just come to my room because they know I’ll bring out the positive in everything, or I’ll make them laugh, or I’ll be just crazy. – Simone Biles
I would say to always follow your dream. And dream big because my whole career, including any of the things that I’ve accomplished, I never thought in a million years that I would be here. So it just proves that once you believe in yourself, and you put your mind to something, you can do it. – Simone Biles
I’m very fortunate to have a coach that I got to stay with all this time. Every year the bond gets stronger and better, and we understand each other more. And it’s like she can tell if I walk into the gym what kind of mood I’m in, what she has to fix for the practice I need, or how I’m feeling. – Simone Biles
Sometimes I hear the crowd cheering, and most of the time your body’s on auto pilot, so sometimes even after I do a floor routine, I’m like, ‘Did I really just do that?’ – Simone Biles
When I was younger, I thought every kid was adopted because that’s all I’ve known. I have everything I need, so I never felt the need to have answers for what happened. – Simone Biles
I’ve never been to the Olympics, so I don’t know what to expect. It’s better for me, just like my first Worlds… My third Worlds, I knew what it was like, so I was like, ‘Oh my goodness. But this is my first Olympics, and not knowing what to expect is good for me. – Simone Biles
Every year, I think of Worlds as the big meet, but now, it’s the Olympics. I’m blessed to even have the opportunity to think about it and work for it. – Simone Biles
I tune it all out because if I let other people’s stress get to me, then I stress myself out more than I need to. – Simone Biles
Everything I do is in the gym, so I’m always in gym clothes. I’m excited to explore lifestyle clothes for a little bit. – Simone Biles
My parents make sure we have everything we need so that we compete to the best of our abilities. – Simone Biles
Growing up, it was kind of a struggle being small, since everyone would make fun of you – except for when it came to hide and seek: that’s the only advantage I ever had! – Simone Biles
Mentally, I have to get my body and mind in the right place before I start the routine, but once into the zone, it’s like I turn on a switch. I envision myself doing the same thing for the Olympic Games. – Simone Biles
So far, my goals stops at making an Olympic team, and then if that happens, then I’ll jot down more goals. – Simone Biles