“There is no greater fame for a man than that which he wins with his footwork or the skill of his hands.”

Hateful to me as are the gates of hell, Is he who, hiding one thing in his heart, Utters another.

Young men’s minds are always changeable, but when an old man is concerned in a matter, he looks both before and after.

I promise you I will do everything just as you ask. But come closer. Let us give in to grief, however briefly, in each other’s arms.

Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.

I detest that man, who hides one thing in the depths of his heart, and speaks forth another.

Always be the best, my boy, the bravest, and hold your head up high above all the others. Never disgrace the generation of your fathers. They were the bravest champions.

The stars never lie, but the astrologers lie about the stars.

Any moment might be our last.

Yet, taught by time, my heart has learned to glow for other’s good, and melt at other’s woe.

There is nothing alive more agonized than man / of all that breathe and crawl across the earth.

I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.

A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time.

My life is more to me than all the wealth of Ilius.

Immortals are never alien to one another.

Think not to match yourself against the gods, for men that walk the earth cannot hold their own with the immortals.

Too many kings can ruin an army.

I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it’s going to rain, it will.

I’m not a celebrity. I’m just the same Simone. I just have two Olympic Gold medals now.

As a sportsperson, the best thing is people recognising you and loving you for what you do. For me, glamour is 100 people in the hotel feeling happy to see you.

You need to look like a lady at the Oscars. Otherwise, Joan Rivers will tear you apart. Then again, you aren’t really anyone till Joan Rivers tears you apart.

I just knew that was what I wanted to do. I was going to perform as a singer; I was going to perform as a dancer, and I was, you know, going to do movies and be an actress. I was going to do it or die trying. That’s what my life was.

Fame is a fickle food upon a shifting plate.

Sometimes I just want to be left alone and be a normal kid for, like, five minutes. That’s tough when the paparazzi are chasing you.

If anyone can figure out how to balance my celebrity and my dual careers in music and film, it’s me. I don’t feel frightened; I feel challenged.