You know, God has a plan for me, and I’m going to follow in his footsteps and just rejoice and be happy.

Your direction is more important than speed.

The other girls [in team] have experience. They’ve been competing on a lot of international world-class stages. They knew what to expect and what to do and what not to do. Me and Aly [Raisman] just gave them advice on the media side. We said, it’s gonna be crazy. It’s the Olympics. But it’s gonna be fun!

I was supporting Aly [Raisman]. I will always will support them and respect them. I don’t want anyone to take it as jealous or I wanted attention.

I don’t need an alarm clock. My passion wakes me up.

I blast Northern Sky, by the Capital Kings, on the way there, but at the gym, I totally zone out.

Be humble, be hungry, and always be the hardest worker in the room.

Success is not about doing extraordinary things, but about doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

You have to dream big and go after your dreams wholeheartedly.

The road to success is never easy, but with hard work and dedication, anything is possible.

Being confident in your own abilities is the first step towards achieving greatness.

Everyone has hiccups in their families.

I take my Bible with me, sometimes two of them, when I travel.

I don’t want to get in over my head because when you do that it takes off your game.

Find rest. There are moments when it’s necessary to pause and take time to heal.

Practice isn’t just about putting in the time. It’s about putting in the effort every day.

I like to hike and play with my dogs and spend time with my family. We go out to family dinners a lot.

I’d tell any girl who continues to love gymnastics enough to want pursue a college scholarship to keep pushing yourself 100% in the gym every single day.

I have no regrets coming back for a second Olympic team [in 2016]. It’s been an amazing experience. It’s been teaching me a lot.

I would have loved to go out there and defend my title, but right now, I’m just rejoicing, and so far, this has just been an amazing experience.

I had a few mistakes, but I’m moving on. To be honest, it just motivates me even more.

Did I choose my hair texture? No. I’m grateful for having this hair on my head.

I wanted to finish on a stronger note. Fighting through that routine, you know what I was like, ‘I’m just fighting through.’

I just spent my whole life training and focused on one thing, I really don’t even think about after the fact! It’s like, oh yeah, I have to do something after!

I don’t like to try strange foods. I like to explore different foods, but if you ask me to eat crocodile or frogs… I’m like no. That’s where I draw the line.

You want to picture yourself being on top and doing amazing gymnastics.

The one snack I really love is YoCrunch yogurt. It’s like an apple pie in a cup! You have your apples on the bottom, your yogurt in the middle, and piecrust crumbs on top.

Nothing is going to change. I’m going to wear my hair like this during beam and bar finals. You might as well stop talking about it.

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

Are you going to stand or are you going to crumble? In the face of everything, stand still.

Toward the end of the Olympics, you get physically tired and drained. And no matter how much rest you have, your body is tired.

Me and my dad are kind of distant since my mom and him separated.

Even before I competed in the Olympics, I always wanted to write a book.

I got my feet wet in a couple of shows. I did a cameo on my favorite show, ‘The Vampire Diaries.’ And I guest starred on a show called ‘Kickin’ It’ on Disney.

I think I was about 14 when I did my first makeup. I was like, ‘Wow, I really like this what do you call it? Makeup thing?’

My family and I had to overcome a lot to get where we are today.

For me going down in history being the first black American to win the gold, I think more colored people are going to start coming to the gymnastics world and say ‘okay, anything is possible. If Gabby did it, then I can do it too.’

Sometimes I like to watch videos of myself and see how confident I was.

Everyone was telling me you have this great potential and you can be on top. I didn’t believe that, but everyone was just telling me to believe in myself. I did and I’m kind of up on top and it’s amazing.

I wear makeup pretty much every day. For training, I usually do a lighter base, a lighter blush and I used the mascara and a little bit of the lip gloss.

I don’t know where this is coming from. What’s wrong with my hair? I’m like ‘I just made history and people are focused on my hair?’ It can be bald or short, it doesn’t matter about my hair. Nothing is going to change. I’m going to wear my hair like this during beam and bar finals. You might as well just stop talking about it.

It’s definitely important to have your mom and family there to back you up and cheering from the stands.

I googled ‘Gabby Douglas,’ and all these things popped up like ‘Gabby Douglas makes history!’ And ‘She’s the champion!’

By now, you’ve probably caught on to something: my mother is always standing by with just the right Scripture or inspirational saying to get me through any tough situation.

I kind of do think of myself as a superhero and just flying high, and doing these crazy flips.

My mom says I’m a fighter, a fierce competitor, and I think I am, too.

It’s very tough for me to focus. I’m like: ‘Look, something shiny! No, focus. Oh, there goes a butterfly!’

I’ve been on a tweeting mission.

I think I would go for a Michael Phelps kind of guy.

I just want to continue with gymnastics because I’m still young and fresh. I think can get some more titles under my belt.

I had to face a lot coming through this journey, a lot of sacrifices, difficulties, challenges, and injuries.

I wake up at about 9 a.m., and have a few hours of school or time to relax. Then, I have practice at 2:30 p.m. with my team.

Oprah has definitely caught my eye. My mom and I used to watch her shows. We just love her

I love how everybody just brings a different personality to the mix and everyone’s different in their own way. There’s a lot of energy–that’s the vibe of Team USA.

I love all the attention, people noticing me. ‘There’s the gymnast. There she is!’

I would love to be a role model.

You need your mom and dad to protect you. It means they love you so much.

Never underestimate the power of determination and dedication.

Dream big, work hard, stay focused, and surround yourself with positive people.

Success is not just about winning. It’s about the lessons learned along the way.

Always believe in yourself and keep going. Don’t let anyone bring you down.

It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.

Never allow fear to overpower your passion.

A healthy outside starts from inside.

It’s kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to Him and the blessings fall down on me.

I’m a very good bowler, which I discovered a few months ago.

Believe, don’t fear, believe.

Gospel music always relaxes me and calms my nerves.

I want to do all roles. The sky’s the limit.

My mom used to tell me when I was little, ‘When it rains, it’s God’s manifestation — a big day’s waiting to happen.’

We can choose a path that leads us into trouble. It all comes down to our decisions at the end of the day.

You’ve got to be confident when you’re competing. You’ve got to be a beast.

I accomplished something big and that’s a memory I will never forget.

Never let anyone define you or limit your potential. You define yourself.

Trust the timing of your life and never give up on yourself.

Champions train, losers complain.

Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.

Sacrifices are not in vain. At the end, everything will pay off.

The hard work definitely paid off and hard work always does.

I would love to be remembered as someone who inspired young girls never to give up on their dreams.

You just have to be yourself and go full with confidence and be courageous!

I used to have this lucky rock and I used to always have to rub it three times before I competed.

When you have a little trouble here and there, just keep fighting. In the end, it will pay off.

I love listening to Lil’ Wayne, Drake and Eminem to get me fired up.

To win Olympic gold, it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of passion, and a lot of sacrifices.

It’s incredible how people come up to me and say ‘Gabby, you inspired me to do anything I can set my mind to’. It’s truly an honor.

I just want to inspire all those people who gave up and said ‘I quit,’ Never give up!

I give myself a pep talk and visualize the routine. I tell myself: “I can do this, let’s go!”

Gymnastics does take great focus and concentration. What I do is look to my coach. He keeps me focused. And I meditate to get myself confident before the competition floor. That helps keep me focused, too.

I wanted to tell my story and where I came from and my background because it was not easy.

I like squirrels. They’re so adventurous.

Don’t be shy. Go for it and ask your crush out.

Be yourself and really embrace your inner beauty and your true talent.

Even if you have the talent, you still have to push yourself.

I’ve always been praying for everything.

I’ve always been praying for everything.

If we set our minds, we can achieve anything.

If you push through the hard days you can get through anything.

Hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made.

No one is going to feel sorry for you, so you have to go out there and be fierce.

The most important thing is to believe in yourself and know that you can do it.

Gold medals are made out of sweat, blood and tears and effort in the gym every day.

Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself. Keep fighting for your dreams!

I was just, you know, kind of getting racist jokes, kind of being isolated from the group. So it was definitely hard. I would come home at night and just cry my eyes out.

My message is to never quit, never give up. When you have a little trouble here and there, just keep fighting. In the end, it will pay off.