Aaron Peirsol Quotations

My life has been no downs, just ups knock on wood. So far, it's been all right.

No one told me anything. I don't know what I did. I have to figure it out. It sounds pretty bogus to me.

I have dedicated my life to promoting this and I now have that opportunity. I have been blessed and I want to share my experiences with as many swimmers as possible.

I'm a part of a program called Toyota's Engines of Change Program. The message is that anyone can make a difference in their community or for whatever cause they feel strongly about. Everyone can be an Engine of Change.

He has a gift, man. A physical and mental gift. To be able to do all those different strokes, obviously his brain functions differently from most people's.

I think it's rare you surprise yourself like that,

Overall, it was pretty much where I wanted to go tonight. My 100 (back) was pretty good, so I have a good shot tomorrow. I don't want to race anybody in particular. I just want to race. I'm not scared of anybody.

My strategy was to stay ahead of Michael in the first 100m, then pull away. That's what I did.

I'm starting to feel very possessive about it. I feel like I've got a good grip on it, only in the sense that I know how I need to swim it, whether I'm feeling good, bad or in between.

We don't swim for the attention. We don't swim to be rock stars. There is something beautiful about being in an anonymous sport and being fairly anonymous. It enables you do something you love without any of the other effects.

We can still maintain our coasts and oceans for the generations to come, who deserve what we have.

If we were to lose our fish that we appreciate so much by overfishing; or if we were to lose some of our favorite beaches to overbuilding and pollution, then how would we feel? It's become a case of not knowing what you've got until it's gone.

The ocean is the lifeblood of our world.

I think the best thing I can hope to achieve is to educate, or make aware, as many people as possible on how the little things they do every day really do affect our environment.

People should make a stand for the things they love and want to see survive infinite generations.

I grew up in an area of a lot of growth, in Orange County, California, and spent most of my youth on the beach. I had witnessed the degradation of our Back Bay and the increased number of closed beach days over the years.

I have always had a very natural connection to the water, and that connection stems from the ocean itself.

Retiring is a strange word. I'm 27 years old. I've still got stuff to do.

I think people will be surprised at how fast they go next year. I do think world records will get broken next year.

Couldn't have asked for a better meet as far as the competition goes. Those are some great fans sitting out there, a lot of kids and that's kind of who we're trying to reach with this.

Couldn't have asked for a better meet as far as the competition goes, ... Those are some great fans sitting out there, a lot of kids and that's kind of who we're trying to reach with this.

Coming off the Olympics and breaking the world record, it's been pretty spectacular. I'm happy with my season.

This is fun. This rejuvenates you. It keeps you young.

It was better than I expected, but I don't feel like I've reached at all what I'm capable of,

It was fantastic, ... I couldn't ask for a better meet as far as the competition goes and the crowd. This was fun - the kind of stuff that keeps you rejuvenated and keeps you young. You're exhausted, but you don't think about it. You just go out and swim. It's a great meet.

It sounds trite because they've been told that by their parents and their coaches,

The oceans are more or less in disrepair. Long Beach really is making an effort to acknowledge this, and that's a great place to start. I'm trying to spread at least the knowledge that it's never too early to take care of our oceans and our environment.

The ocean is the lifeblood of our world. If we were to lose our fish that we appreciate so much by overfishing; or if we were to lose some of our favorite beaches to overbuilding and pollution, then how would we feel? It's become a case of not knowing what you've got until it's gone.

Everyone else is catching up pretty darn fast. Those guys pushed me.

Swimming took up so much of my faculties, and for so long, I was willing to give it everything.

It's relaxing to swim in front of your family and friends. You couldn't ask for a better meet as far as competition goes and the crowd.

I'm just elated. I hoped, but I didn't think I'd really be able to do that.

Instead of eight days, it's going to be one day: boom, boom, boom,

If you're that person, then you've done your job. And if you've (influenced) one kid out of a thousand, then you've done your job.

I feel like a host, ... It's pretty sweet. The pool, it looks like a completely different pool. It's got some big stands, flags, banners, cameras, and who knows what all.

How often does one person get six medals at a World Championships? The way I look at it, not to downplay my accomplishments, but people break world records every year. So to win this award this year, I am completely humbled and very happy.

You could've put more stands out there and they would have been sold out, too. That crowd was loud. You could hear them when you swam.

This has been the opportunity of a lifetime, ... I have always wanted swimming to have an ambassador to travel throughout the United States in places like Hawaii to excite swimmers, parents and the community in general about the great sports that involve water. I have dedicated my life to promoting this, and I now have that opportunity. I have been blessed and I want to share my experiences with as many swimmers as possible.