1.
I swam my brains out.
Mark Spitz
2.
I'm trying to do the best I can. I'm not concerned with tomorrow, but with what goes on today.
Mark Spitz
3.
Life is everchanging, if you cease to change, you cease to live.
Mark Spitz
4.
When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the moustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it — and everybody was talking about it — that I decided to keep it.
Mark Spitz
5.
If you're fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail.
Mark Spitz
6.
We all love to win, but how many people love to train?
Mark Spitz
7.
It has nothing to do with swimming. That happens to be my sport. I'm trying to see how far I can go
Mark Spitz
8.
Swimming isn't everything - winning is.
Mark Spitz
9.
I always wanted to be a dentist from the time I was in high school, and I was accepted to dental school in the spring of 1972. I was planning to go, but after the Olympics there were other opportunities.
Mark Spitz
10.
If you are relaxing and subconsciously thinking about your coming race, you are going to perform at just about 100 percent efficiency.
Mark Spitz
11.
There's a difference between over-training and over-exercising. Over-training can be you're trying to do something at high performance, but when you're over-exercising it just means that you don't have a life. And there are obviously people who go to that extreme.
Mark Spitz
12.
If you want to be Mark Spitz then go for it. If you want to be Michael Phelps then you'll have to work for it. Nobody should wake up to a lower expectation of themselves.
Mark Spitz
13.
And if you have high cholesterol, you would feel the same as if you had low cholesterol because there are no side effects, no symptoms of having high cholesterol.
Mark Spitz
14.
I got beat real hard and heavy in the Olympic Games in 1968 by a guy who swam an incredible race one time in his whole life, but he did it right at the right time. I'd like to be that guy now. Maybe that's what I'm going to have to pull out of my hat to make the Olympic team.
Mark Spitz
15.
What it is saying is that someone who was a world champion and who takes care of himself with a 17-year rest and applies the proper training techniques and perseverance could be successful.
Mark Spitz
16.
The only side effect of too much training is that you get into better shape. There is nothing wrong with that.
Mark Spitz
17.
I wasn't able to lower my cholesterol so they put me on a statin drug. It is called lipitor. I was able to lower my level in about 30 days from above 300 to below 200.
Mark Spitz
18.
I'm at the depot, and I'm not going anywhere. That's better to deal with than having to deal with the unknown. And the unknown is they don't want to fail. They don't want to pay the price unless there's a guarantee they're going to get there
Mark Spitz
19.
If he wins seven golds and ties what I did, then it would be like I was the first man on the moon and he became the second. If he wins more than seven, then he becomes the first man on Mars. We'd both be unique.
Mark Spitz
20.
In my day, at 12 years old, which was 38 years ago, we worked out in summer months for two and a half hours. Today someone in that age group might work out for four hours, two hours in the morning and two at night
Mark Spitz
21.
Yes, I believe that the art of winning is through intimidation, and not necessarily do you have to speak about it.
Mark Spitz
22.
Past performance speaks a tremendous amount about one's ability and likelihood for success.
Mark Spitz
23.
One of the most difficult things for people who have been successful in sports is adapting to the daily world where you can't get an answer from someone until 5 o'clock tomorrow. There is always an excuse. Living 40 or 50 years like that doesn't get too exciting after a while
Mark Spitz
24.
By making a comeback, I'm changing the attitude of people toward me. If I'd known that people would react so enthusiastically, I'd have done it years ago.
Mark Spitz
25.
There are times I might coach one or two workouts a year when the regular coach gets caught in traffic
Mark Spitz
26.
In everyday life there is always manana. There is no urgency
Mark Spitz
27.
Well my thoughts on American swimming are that our prospects look favorable, but we may not have as strong a showing in the gold medal count as in previous Olympics. But I am not coaching
Mark Spitz
28.
My biggest loss was the Olympics. I just can't forget losing. I never will
Mark Spitz
29.
The pool is terrible, but that doesn't have much to do with my record swims. That's all mental attitude.
Mark Spitz
30.
Everyone loves to be loved.
Mark Spitz
31.
Life is true to form, records are meant to be broken
Mark Spitz
32.
If you have a lane, you have a chance.
Mark Spitz
33.
I am not qualified to talk about the diet. Simply because I am not a dietician.
Mark Spitz
34.
So in my mind I own a lot of house records still
Mark Spitz
35.
(American swimmer, 1972 Summer Olympics, on winning seven gold medals Inspirational)
I swam my brains out.
Mark Spitz
36.
When you need a lifestyle change due to [health issues], a dietary change is usually the first thing you need to take control of.
Mark Spitz
37.
Because a known fact is better than an unknown fact.
Mark Spitz
38.
I just tried to keep my cool and continue with my race plan: to win.
Mark Spitz
39.
I walked away from the sport for 17 years, then started swimming again recently in a master's program.
Mark Spitz
40.
I went through a lifestyle change when I dropped 40 pounds. Taking care of my diet was the first thing I did.
Mark Spitz
41.
I am going to sit there and watch Michael Phelps break my record anonymously? That's almost demeaning to me. It is not almost - it is.
Mark Spitz
42.
As a kid, chess was the first thing I studied in a structured way that helped me gain the discipline to study medicine and become successful doctor.
Mark Spitz
43.
Do any exercise you want as long as you're willing to do it. You see gym equipment on TV advertisements all the time, but guess what? It's only good if you actually use it.
Mark Spitz
