"So many people go through life, and they never deal with their own issues, no matter what the issues are - ours happen to be gender identity. But, how many people go through life and just waste an entire life 'cause they'd never deal with themselves to be who they are."

"Decathletes have to train for every event: sprints one day, field events the next. You pump up to make yourself strong enough to throw? Try pole vaulting at 250 pounds. There are 32 guys in most decathlons, and they're in 32 little track meets."

"I had a lot of conversations with my family, my close friends, with my pastor, with God, and kind of came to a revelation that maybe I should be honest with myself about who I am and let that person - this woman who has lived inside me for my entire life - finally have an opportunity to live."

"Gamble, cheat, lie, and steal. Let me explain: Gamble for your best shot in life - dare to take risks. Cheat those who would have you be less than you are. Lie in the arms of those you love. And finally, steal every moment of happiness."

"If I wasn't dyslexic, I probably wouldn't have won the Games. If I had been a better reader, then that would have come easily, sports would have come easily... and I never would have realized that the way you get ahead in life is hard work."

"I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you're a musician, a writer, an athlete or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you'll win - if you don't, you won't."

"Life wasn't easy growing up; it was frustrating. If I had been a better reader, then that would have come easily, sports would have come easily, everything would have come easily, and I never would have realized that the way you get ahead in life is hard work."

"I'm just going to go live life. I'm going to go enjoy life. I have nothing left to hide. I am kind of a free person, a free soul."

"Sexuality is who you are personally attracted to... But gender identity is who you are in your soul."

"There's nothing more, nothing better in life to wake up in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror, and feel comfortable with yourself and who you are."

"Start early and begin raising the bar throughout the day."

"The only thing I did is, I wore the same pair of socks in every decathlon I was ever in."

"I have found that women have so much unleashed power that they don't really utilize because they don't have confidence in themselves about who they are and what they can do."

"The hardest part about being a woman is figuring out what to wear."

"Being a celebrity is a business."

"Some people look gender non-conforming because they want to look that way - they don't want to conform to society's expectations."

"You don't go out and change your gender for a "television "show, O.K.? It ain't happening. I don't care who you are."

"The biggest problem with dyslexic kids is not the perceptual problem, it is their perception of themselves. That was my biggest problem."

"The 'Vanity Fair' article was interesting to do because it was the first time I ever really had the opportunity to be absolutely truthful with a reporter about every aspect of my life."

"I had really no sense of style. Everyone around me in my family had the sense of style - I learned as much as I possibly could."

"When you have a voice, and you have an opportunity at the world level to be able to speak, it has to be right."

"I want to dress well. I want to look good."

"I wish I were kind of normal. It would be so much more simple."

"Sports saved my life."