LOLO JONES

Greatness finds us by obstacles in front of us. I don’t look at hurdles as obstacles blocking my path but opportunities to overcome.

Believe it or not, Twitter calms me down. I enjoy interacting with people.

The Olympics are only once every four years, so you have to take advantage of all your opportunities, both to be an inspiration to people and help support your sponsors who help you.

I listen to a lot of Christian music, and reading my Bible calms me down immensely.

Maybe there's a little girl who thinks she can be an Olympic athlete, and she sees all the things I struggled through to get here. Yeah, I didn't walk away with a medal or run away with a medal, but I think there's lessons to be learned when you win and lessons to be learned when you lose.

Sometimes bad things are going to happen in your life, and those things can make you stronger if you just learn how to get over them.

A failure isn't a failure if it prepares you for success tomorrow.

There's definitely a whole double standard. I don't understand it. A guy can be sexy and good-looking, and it totally just enhances his credibility as an athlete.

Deep squats work so many muscles in your body. Once a week, I do three sets of six, or eight of the free-bar ones, which can help out your balance and work more muscles than doing them on the machine.

Harder than training for the Olympics, harder than graduating from college, has been to stay a virgin before marriage.

I definitely would say, by sixth grade, I was a professional shoplifter - and not because I wanted to. I'm not going out to shoplift earrings or clothes or shoes like the average teenager. I was shoplifting frozen dinners at a grocery store.

I am training at such a high level that I actually could eat anything and get by. But as my coach always says, your body is like a car, and food is like your fuel. I am a race car, so I can't just put unleaded fuel in my car. I need that good premium fuel.

I didn't have a big-time contract out of college like most athletes. In fact I had no contract at all.

The Olympics are only once every four years, so you have to take advantage of all your opportunities, both to be an inspiration to people and help support your sponsors who help you.

I listen to a lot of Christian music, and reading my Bible calms me down immensely.

There's definitely a whole double standard. I don't understand it. A guy can be sexy and good-looking, and it totally just enhances his credibility as an athlete.

When I'm standing in a stadium packed with 80,000 screaming fans, I can't just whip out my Bible before I run. That's when I start praying! It's so loud that I can't even hear what I'm saying, but it always helps.

Running was like the friend that never left. It was just always there.

Maybe there's a little girl who thinks she can be an Olympic athlete, and she sees all the things I struggled through to get here. Yeah, I didn't walk away with a medal or run away with a medal, but I think there's lessons to be learned when you win and lessons to be learned when you lose.

Sometimes bad things are going to happen in your life, and those things can make you stronger if you just learn how to get over them.

If a female is good-looking, it totally decreases her credibility. Now she's not a good athlete - she's only good in these track meets because she's good-looking.

A businessman needs a laptop. Athletes need massages and the right diet.

Greatness finds us by obstacles in front of us. I don’t look at hurdles as obstacles blocking my path but opportunities to overcome.

I'm inspired by failure. The process of defeat – picking yourself back up again is the hardest thing in the world.

A failure isn't a failure if it prepares you for success tomorrow.

Success is always an easier motivator, because you want more of it. But I've also been motivated by failure. Had I medaled in London, I don't think I would be one of the few that have gone to a Summer and Winter. I would have been content with that medal. Instead, I used that failure to go to the Winter Olympics. I always tell people that failure can be one of your biggest motivators if you just have an attitude adjustment about it.

It took Dan Jansen, the speed skater, four Olympics to win a medal-a gold one at that!-but he never gave up. I won't, either.

There's always a point where you get knocked down. But I draw on what I've learned on the track: If you work hard, things will work out.

Believe it or not, Twitter calms me down. I enjoy interacting with people.

As a young girl, I just wanted to have fun and compete. There were no goals of becoming an Olympic athlete. I wanted to hang out with my friends. I wanted to do something fun, and that's what I did

I never have prayed to win a gold medal at Olympics and never will. The Lord is my Shepard and I shall not want. May His will be done.

Deep squats work so many muscles in your body. Once a week, I do three sets of six, or eight of the free-bar ones, which can help out your balance and work more muscles than doing them on the machine.

Stepping on that line for me, it will be about facing my fears.

Harder than training for the Olympics, harder than graduating from college, has been to stay a virgin before marriage.