When you fall, leap to your feet and try again. Nadia Comaneci More Quotes by Nadia Comaneci More Quotes From Nadia Comaneci The fans had become used to looking toward the scoreboard whenever a gymnast stuck a landing. You could tell they were thinking, 'Was that good enough? Would the numbers read 10.00?' The athlete was looking, too. Nadia Comaneci lookinggoodyouthinking At 14, you think you compete, you retire and you get a job. I didn't think gymnastics was a career that was going to change my life. Nadia Comaneci my-lifeyouchangelife I had more pressure when I competed in Moscow. I had no pressure in Montreal because I only went to do my routines and hoping I didn't mess it up when I was on the bar. When I came back, 10,000 people were at the airport and I thought, 'Why?' because, in my mind, I hadn't done anything different from what I used to do in my gym. Nadia Comaneci thoughtgymmindpeople When you go out of your country and meet people, you get a wider perspective. Nadia Comaneci youperspectivecountrypeople People ask me what the definition of perfection, I said it's none: there is no definition of perfection. Nadia Comaneci meperfectionsaidpeople People always accused me of not smiling like my rival Olga Korbut, but that was just my personality. When you're balancing on a nine-inch beam, you have to concentrate. But if you look back at the footage, I was always smiling and waving at the crowd after my performances. Nadia Comaneci meyoupersonalitypeople It was my mother who got me involved in gymnastics, sending me to classes when I was six just to stop me doing back flips on the couch and destroying the furniture. Nadia Comaneci stopdoingmemother Romania doesn't have a big tradition of gymnastics as a fun activity. We were a little behind in this aspect. Nadia Comaneci behindbigtraditionfun I'm not a dreamer for, you know, 'I want to go to the moon someday.' I accomplished something when I was young, which was much more than I expected to. My results were much bigger than I ever dreamed about it. Nadia Comaneci goknowyoumoon It feels good when you come to a place like Oklahoma to charge up the batteries. I need that. Nadia Comaneci needplacegoodyou Every generation comes with a unique athlete, I don't think anybody wants to be the next Nadia; they want to be themselves. Nadia Comaneci generationthinkuniquewant I basically have my life today as a result of what I did as a child. What did I miss out on? Yeah, I missed not hanging out at shopping malls, I guess, but that is not a big deal because you don't get a medal for that. Nadia Comaneci my-lifeyoutodaylife
