I think the beauty of Catholicism is its consistency through both successes and difficulties. I've counted on my faith to give me strength through both training and competition - but also in school, with my family and everyday life.

When I was six, right before I started swimming, we went to a national competition here in Maryland and watched Michael Phelps swim, and I got to meet him afterwards, and I got his autograph. Fast forward nine years, and I'm at the Olympics with him, and it's like: 'Woah.'

I felt so relaxed. It just felt very easy, and that's why it surprised me that I had broken my world record.

I'm just maintaining the same mindset that I had going into the 2012 Olympics and Olympic trials, which is just, whatever happens, happens.

The great question, is there anything at all which is worth fighting such a war about, with the devastating loss it will bring? I believe yes, there are some freedoms which to sacrifice would be EVEN worse.

You don't go after veterans in this country. If there's one thing that's sacrosanct, it is the American military veteran.

Many of the architects of the Vietnam War became near pariahs as they spent the remainder of their lives in the futile quest to explain away their decisions at the time.

Fragility, violence, and conflict are complex. Fragility is influenced by a wide set of factors, many of which are deeply entrenched, such as high social and income inequality. The lines between criminal, inter-communal, and politically motivated violence are often blurred.