Gymnastics was my calling. I think it chose me in a lot of ways.

The time leading up to the 1996 Olympics was the most demanding and stressful of my career. The sport I had loved so much was slowly becoming a nightmare as I trained with Bela and Marta Karolyi the summer before the Olympics.

Standing on the podium at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and receiving a gold medal was the crowning jewel in a successful gymnastics career and, most certainly, the confirmation that my parents' sacrifices were not in vain.

I'd challenge myself to see how long I could go without a fall - on beam, I once went three weeks.

Everyone's path is different. It's not always about money - sometimes it's about the journey.

This is boxing. It's not like a baseball game. The fighters say, 'I need a lot of money or I don't fight, because it's very dangerous.'

If you can't define a winning exit strategy for the American people, where we somehow come out ahead, then we're wasting our money, and we're wasting our strategic resources.

Before Congress cuts funding for Head Start, Social Security, and financial aid for college, we have got to make sure that large, profitable corporations are paying their fair share of taxes.