Steph Houghton Quotes

I never wanted to disappoint my family at all.

Had I not made it big, my family would have told me to recheck my decision. Now that I am successful, there is no way. They have to accept it gracefully.

The great thing is my dad was OK with whatever I wanted to do. He always supported me, and once I showed I was serious about football, that's when he really started to get involved and give me pointers.

But having set myself these goals, I had to work really hard to achieve them.

To this day, my mom's unsinkable spirit is an inspiration to me. For nearly thirty years, she's worked at the Library of Congress. Everyone knows Sameha simply as 'Sami.' Along with 500 miles of shelved books, her closest friendships are cataloged in that library. They are as much the value of work to my mom as is the work itself.

During the past 23 years, I have set a number of goals for myself and I'm proud to say that these goals have been achieved.

My mom was at every single game I played as a kid, rain or shine.

I am proud of my work for my country.

My father's encouragement is what has brought me this far, because when I grew up I wanted to be like him, and I knew I had that ability to become an athlete. Being an Olympian is one of the greatest things, and being an Olympic gold medallist is one of the most prestigious titles in the world.

I will never reach the success that my dad has felt.

I grew up watching my father work, and learning from him what good quality is. I took from him the passion to create beautiful and exclusive products. He also taught me to persevere if I want to reach my goals.

Obviously there are not too many people who get a chance to play in the Olympics in their hometown. That would be something special, but going into the summer you have to be realistic with yourself, and health-wise and motivation-wise you have to be willing to do what it takes.

I feel that everyone has something different that moves them or that appeals to them. Maybe something in your family or maybe something in your life that happened that really pushes you for a specific cause - as long as there is something that you're doing.

My father was a successful real estate developer, and he was a very tough man but a good man. My father would always praise me. He always thought I was the smartest person.

Success is the progressive realization of predetermined, worthwhile, personal goals.

My work ethic came from my parents and my fear of failure. I came from a small, predominantly black school and I didn't want to let them down.

In order to stay where I am - and I want to do that - I have to stay dedicated as well as I have been before I became No. 1.

My family means everything to me and the birth of our daughter has enabled me to have more focus on my career and every time I compete, I dedicate my success to them.

There was a moment in time where I was really focused on the Navy and I followed through with it - I passed the test. I was happy with myself because I was accomplishing something and I was really working towards a goal. That was the first true thing I invested my energy in.

I think of myself as an Olympian. I have had a dream since I was a very small child. And because I have parents without whom I couldn't have realised that dream.

My parents have always had pretty high expectations, but they're very supportive.

I am very proud to be part of this team, and I know that winning with Ferrari will mean more than winning with another team.

I've done my country proud.

Mom somehow made it to every one of my graduations - even when it meant she had to travel far away.

My parents have always supported me, and they still come to my events and support me each day.