It's never too late to be great.
Jordan Burroughs
I have high expectations for myself - as an athlete, as a man, as an individual - and wrestling has helped me build a lot of character knowing that I have to remain humble but also fight complacency.
The difference between the greats and the legends is their ability to focus for longer periods of time.
Discipline, focus, endurance is what it takes to be the greatest at this sport.
I listen to a lot of TED talks and motivational speakers.
I'm not afraid to tell people what I hope to accomplish and what I believe I'm capable of. I'm ready to take the backlash if I don't accomplish my dreams.
A lot of kids can't identify with the things I've done and where I'm from and who I am as an individual. That's why I've tried to be a person and live my life in a way that can be identified by all cultures.
If you look at my iPod, I've got so much different music. I think that it kind of describes me as a person, just being a chameleon to whatever particular environment that I'm in.
I think every athlete is afraid for their career to be over.
I wouldn't go to pro wrestling. It's not really my thing. I'm a fan, but I think every sport could take some notes from the WWE - how they've progressed and stayed relevant for such a long period of time.
I wanted to be amongst the greats. I wanted to be a Simone Biles, a Michael Phelps, an Ashton Eaton. I wanted to be those guys.
I think I'm a crossover athlete to get the sport into the mainstream media.
Donald Trump and I have very different views on Iranians. I am confident that if he ever visited the country, he'd learn a lot about the people and come back to the States with a newfound appreciation for the Persians.
There was a time period where I was obsessed with the rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics in the 1980s.
There's no excuse for losing for me.
Family is most important to me.
It's harder to be a dad than an Olympic champion.
It's one thing to never accomplish anything. You start from the bottom, you remain at the bottom, and all you know is the bottom. When you start at the bottom and you get to the top, and you feel the success and the notoriety and the recognition from being the champion, and you go back to losing, that's a tough place to be in.
Everybody makes money; not everybody makes history.
A lot of guys get out of wrestling immediately after winning a gold medal. Every time another Olympics comes around, it's always a bunch of fresh faces. For me, to win an Olympic gold and have a chance to win another would be huge for our sport.
I think every young man's goal is to be a professional athlete, whether it's the NBA, MLB, or the NFL.
We have a lot of wrestling fans out there just looking for a star to cheer for.
I've had matches that were close.
If you come from Jersey, you're tough. You've been through the grind.
I've got the ability to control my destiny, and I take pride in that.
Anything less than gold is a failure to me. It's extreme pressure, but I hold myself to a high standard.
I've won every single event there is to win as a wrestler, and I still continue to come back every single year. The hard part for me is, 'OK, how long can you do this?'
John Smith from Oklahoma State was the greatest American wrestler of all time.
I definitely want to fight after I'm done wrestling.
It's been a lot of responsibility to be an ambassador for U.S. wrestling and the sport. It's a tough journey. There's a lot of obligations but also a lot of opportunity.
So many kids dream about playing in the NFL. But I was 130 pounds in ninth grade. I looked around and didn't see any 130-pound wide receivers in the pros.
I think the ultimate sign of an icon or legend in any sport is the ability to elevate their teammates.
Every person I wrestle, it's the biggest match of their career. They're Buster Douglas. But what's the honor in being Mike Tyson and beating Buster Douglas? I win and move on. They win, and it's a game-changer for the rest of their lives.
I missed a lot of important milestones in my children's lives to pursue this sport.
The worst thing for me would be going back to where I was - relative obscurity.
When I was growing up, I was a big Ultimate Warrior fan; I liked Macho Man Randy Savage and a lot of other bad dudes.
It's always been a battle for me between personal goals and wanting to be able to share the success I've had with my family. And I guess as I've gotten older, I've kind of realized, you know, you can do all these cool things, but if you don't have people in your life to share it with, what's the point?
Once you've reached the highest level, you always want to get back there. It's like, once you drive a Ferrari, you're not satisfied driving a Honda anymore.
I love the sport of wrestling because it's a testament of your will and what you're capable of as a man.
Nebraska and Indiana were really the only Division One schools that expressed any interest in me.
Dorm-room life was a tough transition. You're young, and you realize how much you miss the comfort of home.
I remember my first World Championships. I got zero turns, and I got turned multiple times, and I was still a World Champion.
As wrestlers, we're not trying to hurt or damage physically our opponent. All we're trying to do is score points and get our hands raised, so I think that's where we differ from the UFC, but I think that also the way in which we could address each other could be cool from a competitive spirit.
There was a period of time early in my career where I was like, 'I'm gonna definitely fight. I definitely want to be a part of this lifestyle.' Then there was a period of time where I had so much success in the sport of wrestling, and I was like, 'I don't really need fighting.'
If I do consider fighting, it won't be until after the Olympic games in 2020, and then from there I'll reevaluate, see if it's something that would be a realistic option for me.
I think that Ben Askren, when he competed as a wrestler, he was an amazing athlete.
Wrestling is different than MMA or boxing or really any other contact sport in that you can't really draw along an opponent.
You watch Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather fight, Floyd can just throw a few punches, or he can do a lot of defense; he can slip a few punches, let Conor get a few shots in. You can't really do that in wrestling without getting scored on or putting yourself at risk.
I've always thought about it. I've considered it when I was young. I was like, 'Listen, I'm going to fight. I want to be a star. I'm going to fight.'
I just want one fight. Because, like, for me, it's not about the status, not about the glory. It's not about the money. Like, I just want to throw my hands and see what I'm made of. And I think that wrestlers and fighters have that same fighting spirit.
