Joanna Jedrzejczyk Quotes

Being favorite counts for nothing. I am focusing on doing the best time of my life, whether or not it's the best in history or the best in the competition.

Having a belt is cool, but I'm trying to do more in the sport.

I'm working to be the best - the very best. There are a lot of people in this industry, and I'm trying to be the best. I'm working to affect history in a positive way.

No matter what the competition is, I try to find a goal that day and better that goal.

You just go out and compete and try to earn whatever you can. I'm looking to get better every single day I set foot on this field.

I mean, everyone walks into the gym on day one skinny or fat. Arnold Schwarzenegger walked into the gym skinny at 15 or 16, and I was that way, too.

I wasn't athletic as a kid, and I was self-conscious about my body, but then in eighth grade I won a school contest, and the prize was a bunch of personal training sessions.

A black belt is what you prove to be, but also what it means in your heart.

For so long I wanted to win the gold medal. Then I won. I had to figure out what was the new motivation to take myself to that place again.

I enjoyed my 15 years at the top, and now I enjoy watching the current crop. What I did, maybe they can't do, and what they do, perhaps I couldn't do. It's like that. I wanted to simply be the best. On a professional level, I wanted to be No. 1, and I worked hard to be that.

My fitness journey will be a lifelong journey.

My old coach used to say that if you were in it for the match, if you were in it for the trophies, you were in it for the wrong reasons.

Whatever luck I had, I made. I was never a natural athlete, but I paid my dues in sweat and concentration and took the time necessary to learn karate and become world champion.

Each season I find myself constantly inspired by 'The Biggest Loser' contestants. Their tenacity and willingness to learn new, healthy habits is tremendous and the results speak for themselves. I am honored to be part of such an inspiring program that helps inspire positive change in so many lives.

Martial arts is a life journey. One of the things my teacher taught me a long time ago was that everyone's path to the mastery of a certain system is different. Some people's path is a very direct route, where others might wind back and forth if you are injured or something.

I didn't really seek attention. I just wanted to play the game well and go home.

The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give.

It's rewarding to know that I have young people in the gym who have the same goals as I had, and now I can help them reach those goals.

There's a number of years that went by going from a white belt to a black belt. And I think, in a similar respect, years go by with your maturation process, and it's just as important to be disciplined with that as it was in karate.

I want my team to win and to be the best player I can possibly be.

In the beginning I pushed toward perfection, but it takes time to get to certain places.

I try to be myself. Do anything to win games.

The want to improve myself and win tournaments and see how far I go is crucial.

I'm just here for this one purpose, and that's to try and get better each and every day and try and win as much as I can, while I can.

When I started lifting weights, I remember I could barely bench the bar. I mean, I'm shaking all over the place, the bar's falling, and I'm like, 'I can't lift 45 pounds,' but it just goes to show how much work I put in.