82 Simone Biles Quotes That Serve Up Olympic-Size Inspo

Is it just us, or is burnout bringing big main character energy into 2022? Like, who the hell invited you here in the first place? Honestly, it’s just plain rude. When those states of physical or emotional stress start to take over, there’s always one person we can count on to turn to, and that’s elite gymnast Simone Biles. After all, who’s more inspirational than the GOAT? Between the 2016 Rio Games and this past summer, Biles has racked up seven Olympic medals, four of which are gold, NBD. And even though she isn’t competing at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, she’s there in spirit — her advocacy for mental health has helped many of this year’s Olympic competitors feel comfortable being vulnerable and honest about the pressure to perform. Suffice it to say, Biles is a walking billboard of resilience, courage, and inspiration. Hence why we took the liberty of rounding up the best Simone Biles quotes to help you kick those overwhelming feelings to the curb, for good.

Whether you’re a sports fan or not, it’s pretty dang near impossible to name a more well-respected celebrity than Biles. She continues to break records and barriers in women’s gymnastics (and, in general, is an outspoken proponent of women’s rights both on and off the mat). But perhaps her greatest achievement of all came in Tokyo when she showed the world that it’s OK not to be OK. Biles is a fountain of wisdom, and we can all benefit from taking a page out of her book every once in a while.

So, open the Notes app on your phone, and jot down your favorite quotes from Biles ahead. This way, the next time you need a heavy dose of Olympic-sized inspiration, you’ll be ready.

Best Simone Biles Quotes

1. “I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps… I’m the first Simone Biles.”
2. “The unexpected is usually what brings the unbelievable.”
3. “We can push ourselves further. We always have more to give.”
4. “I thought I could figure it out on my own, but that’s sometimes not the case. And that’s not something you should feel guilty or ashamed of.”
5. “I always say my biggest competitor is myself because, whenever I step out there on the mat, I’m competing against myself to prove that I can do this and that I am very well trained, prepared for it.”
6. “I hope everyone feels comfortable and confident going to therapy and speaking out.”
7. “If you’re having fun, that’s when the best memories are built.”
8. “Gymnastics is just one part of my life, and I’m having as much fun with it as possible.”
9. “I feel like it’s harder because everyone knows I’m the three-time world champion. It’s almost like people are waiting for something bad to happen.”
10. “The sport is called artistic gymnastics. So you do have to be a little bit of an actress.”
11. “Work hard in silence; let your success be the noise.”
12. “I wanted them to know that following your dreams — not just in gymnastics, but in everything — shouldn’t have anything to do with the color of your skin. It should only be about finding the discipline and the courage to do the hard work.”
13. “I was built this way for a reason, so I’m going to use it.”
14. “The team comes first.”
15. “You don’t have to be a robot all the time, and you don’t always have to seem happy out there.”
16. “For me, I don’t think about size. I focus more on being powerful and confident.”
17. “It’s inspiring to young athletes that there are more records that can still be broken.”
18. “I take things one step at a time.”
19. “Today, do what others won’t so tomorrow you can accomplish what others can’t.”
20. “I would say to always follow your dream. And dream big because my whole career, including any of the things that I’ve accomplished, I never thought in a million years that I would be here.”
21. “You can have fun and do well. Just let loose a bit.”
22. “We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we’re human, too. We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”
23. “I’m always trying to push myself to the limit to see what I can do.”
24. “Practice creates confidence. Confidence empowers you.”
25. “I won’t let one man, and the other that enabled him, to steal my love and joy.”
26. “I want kids to learn that, yes, it’s OK to acknowledge that you’re good or even great at something.”
27. “You make your own luck.”
28. “In the beginning, I thought maybe I had a problem, but now I kind of look forward to therapy because it’s a safe outlet for me.”
29. “I feel this year gave me a voice. I tried to find my voice this year and use that to the better potential in positive manners.”
30. “Most people would focus on concentrating more, and I can’t do that. It almost makes me overthink a lot of my things. I have to focus on not thinking.”
31. “I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.”
32. “To go out there and prove what I can do has taught me a lot about who I am.”
33. “I have to put my pride aside. I have to do what’s right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being.”
34. “I think everybody inside is a champion themselves depending on how you handle your failures and successes.”
35. “Stay healthy, have fun with it, and embrace all the moments. Because anything can happen.”
36. “My biggest flaw is not being able to function without a nap.”
37. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, it just matters where you go with it.”
38. “I feel like I’m small and mighty and pack a powerful punch, just like Tide PODS.”
39. “There are goals that I have, and then I dream of it, and then I make it a reality.”
40. “At some point, I’ll have to go get a real job.”
41. “If I disappoint someone, it’s their loss for putting that expectation on me when they don’t know me. I can’t control what they want.”
42. “Don’t wait until you’ve reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching that goal.”
43. “I definitely feel like it’s been a relief [to speak openly about her emotions after withdrawing from events], but it’s not easy to go through it. Because I try to be strong not only for other people but also myself, but sometimes there are weaknesses in strength, and that’s OK.”
44. “If they said, ‘Do five pull-ups,’ I would always want to do 10.”
45. “Everything is possible at any one competition.”
46. “You can still be very good at what you do and have fun.”
47. “Everybody expects me to speak out, but I kind of do it whenever I’m ready, in a good mental place, because it is a lot at the end of the day, and it does spark a very big conversation.”
48. “You don’t have to be serious all the time to do a good job.”
49. “A successful competition for me is always going out there and putting 100 percent into whatever I’m doing.”
50. “Overthinking at night is one of my best talents.”
51. “The same thing that’s true in gymnastics is also true in life: You can’t go back. The best you can do is forgive yourself, take a deep breath, and get to work on the next challenge.”
52. “You will not always be strong, but you can always be brave.”
53. “I tune it all out because if I let other people’s stress get to me, then I stress myself out more than I need to.”
54. “I say put mental health first.”
55. “Smiling doesn’t win you gold medals.”
56. “Growing up, I didn’t see very many Black gymnasts… So whenever I did, I felt really inspired to go out there and want to be as good as them. I remember watching Gabby Douglas win the 2012 Olympics, and I was like, If she can do it, I can do it.”
57. “I have everything I need, so there are no blanks left unfilled.”
58. “If you aren’t committed to training, conditioning, and practice, you aren’t committed to being your best.”
59. “I need to learn how to carry those expectations lightly, like a turtle carries its shell.”
60. “It doesn’t even matter if I don’t win a self-gold — after every meet, I have pizza. Pepperoni pizza.”
61. “It’s not always winning. People, I think, mistake that it’s just winning. Sometimes it could be, but for me, it’s hitting the best sets I can, gaining confidence, and having a good time and having fun.”
62. “They focused on my hair. They focused on how big my legs were. But God made me this way, and I feel like if I didn’t have these legs or these calves, I wouldn’t be able to tumble as high as I can and have all of these moves named after me.”
63. “Go easy on yourself. Whatever you do today, let it be enough.”
64. “Maybe it’s good we don’t know what will happen next in our stories, because if we did, we might not turn the page. Or we might skip ahead and never experience the good that comes out of the hard moment we’re living through.”
65. “It doesn’t matter what you look like. You can strive for greatness, and you can be great.”
66. “If you’re not having a good time it’s OK; you don’t have to hide that from people.”
67. “I plan on doing things that I can’t do because of gym right now. Things like going swimming with sharks or jumping off a cliff into water.”
68. “I don’t really think about the degree of difficulty or the possibility of making a mistake. I just try to relax and let my preparation and training take over.”
69. “It’s amazing that I can inspire little kids to know that you can be short or tall, and your body type doesn’t matter because you can do anything.”
70. “You can’t get too caught up in yourself.”
71. “I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but, damn, sometimes it’s hard, hahaha! The Olympics is no joke!”
72. “Growing up, it was kind of a struggle being small since everyone would make fun of you — except for when it came to hide and seek. That’s the only advantage I ever had!”
73. “Make sure you always have fun [with what you’re doing], and make sure that it’s your decision. If it’s not your decision, you’re not having fun, and if you’re not having fun, you might not enjoy it.”
74. “I think it’s nice to see so many people at the top that are people of color because it gives you inspiration, motivation. But also in the gym, I think representation matters. Whenever you’re younger and you see somebody that looks just like you, you’re like, ‘Wow, they’re doing it. Then I can do it, too.'”
75. “You’re still going to thrive. You’re going to become somebody amazing and great. You guys are all beautiful, inside and out.”
76. "The reaction of the public plays a very important role. It gives us an adrenaline boost, especially when people start to shout and clap their hands in time with the music. That really helps us to go on."
77. "I still had moments when my nerves got to me, but whenever I’d start to get anxious, Kyla Ross would remind me, 'Simone, just do what you do in practice.’"
78. "If I thought of gymnastics as a job, it would put too much stress on me ... At the end of the day, if I can say I had fun, it was a good day."
79. "After hearing the brave stories of my friends and other survivors, I know that this horrific experience does not define me. I am much more than this. I am unique, smart, talented, motivated, and passionate. I have promised myself that my story will be much greater than this, and I promise all of you that I will never give up."
80. "To me, I go out there, and I do what I trained. We prepare so long for that moment, so it's just kind of exciting."
81. "I don't fear what will happen, but you just get ahead of yourself, like, 'Oh my gosh, I wish it would happen now.'"
82. "Sometimes I hear the crowd cheering, and most of the time your body's on autopilot, so sometimes even after I do a floor routine, I'm like, 'Did I really just do that?'"