Nathan Chen Quotes

Powerful Nathan Chen for Daily Growth

About Nathan Chen

Nathan Chen, born on December 5, 1998, is an accomplished American figure skater and a prominent member of the second generation of U.S. men's figure skating. Known for his technical prowess, artistry, and innovative programs, he has significantly impacted the sport. Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Chinese immigrant parents, Chen started skating at the age of four inspired by Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek. He trained under Rafael Arutunian and Peter Johansson before joining the team of Brian Orser in 2018. Chen's career took a significant leap in 2017 when he became the first U.S. skater to land five quadruple jumps in a single competition at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. He went on to win his first Grand Prix series title at the 2017-18 Grand Prix Final, and in 2018, he became the first American man since Scott Hamilton in 1984 to win back-to-back U.S. Championships. In 2018, Chen made his Olympic debut at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, finishing fifth overall. He represented the United States again at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where he won a bronze medal in the team event and placed fourth in the men's individual competition. Chen's skating style is characterized by his technical skill, expressive artistry, and innovative programs. He has been praised for his ability to bring a new level of difficulty and originality to figure skating, often incorporating unique musical choices and choreography into his routines. In addition to his competitive success, Chen has also used his platform to advocate for mental health awareness and Asian American representation in sports. His journey and achievements serve as an inspiration to many, demonstrating the power of determination, resilience, and a love for one's craft.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I believe that every single person has potential and it's up to them to unlock it."

This quote emphasizes personal responsibility and empowerment. It suggests that each individual possesses unique, untapped abilities or potential, waiting to be activated. The message is that while this potential exists inherently, its realization depends on the person themselves. In other words, it's up to each of us to unlock our own potential by taking action, setting goals, pursuing learning opportunities, and persevering through challenges. This quote encourages individuals to take control of their lives and strive for growth and self-improvement.

"The greatest obstacle in any given moment is always ourselves."

This quote emphasizes that our biggest challenges often stem from within us, rather than external factors. It underscores the importance of self-awareness and personal growth in overcoming life's hurdles. In other words, mastering one's thoughts, emotions, and actions is crucial to unlocking one's full potential and achieving success.

"I strive for progress, not perfection."

This quote by Nathan Chen emphasizes the pursuit of growth and improvement rather than an unattainable standard of flawlessness or "perfection." It suggests that the journey towards mastery is more valuable than reaching a state where no further learning or development can occur. By focusing on progress, individuals are encouraged to take risks, learn from mistakes, and embrace the process of becoming better versions of themselves, fostering resilience, adaptability, and a growth mindset.

"Success is a journey, not a destination."

The quote emphasizes that success is not an end point to strive for, but rather a continuous process or journey that requires effort, determination, and perseverance. It suggests that the growth, learning, and personal development experienced along the way are as important as reaching the final goal itself. This perspective encourages individuals to focus on the steps they take towards success and the skills they acquire during this journey, rather than only focusing on the ultimate destination or outcome.

"Don't let fear stop you from chasing your dreams." - Nathan Chen

This quote by figure skater Nathan Chen suggests that individuals should not allow their fears to hinder them from pursuing their goals and aspirations. By acknowledging and overcoming fear, people can seize opportunities, take risks, and grow both personally and professionally. Fear is a common barrier that prevents many from realizing their full potential, but by persisting despite it, one can unlock the doors to success and personal fulfillment.

Never give up. There are always tough times, regardless of what you do in anything in life. Be able to push through those times and maintain your ultimate goal.

- Nathan Chen

Give, Through, Always, Times

It's reassuring knowing that people are supporting me and want to know more about me. It comes with being the national champion and making the Olympic team. I think that it's telling me I'm on the right path.

- Nathan Chen

I Think, Telling, Olympic, Reassuring

If it's time to indulge, I love desserts, especially Hershey's chocolate. I also love sushi and Japanese food. Food is my favorite in general.

- Nathan Chen

Love, Hershey, Desserts, Japanese

I tend to be a little bit more quiet and just to myself. I'm a little bit more introverted than extroverted.

- Nathan Chen

Myself, More, Extroverted, Introverted

Every day is a new day, and ultimately, I have to figure out what works each day.

- Nathan Chen

New, A New Day, Figure, Each Day

I want to get another Olympic medal outside the team event.

- Nathan Chen

Want, Outside, Olympic, Olympic Medal

I celebrate my hardworking parents and all the opportunities they gave me.

- Nathan Chen

Celebrate, Me, Gave, Hardworking

Once I landed the triple Salchow, I put it in the program. First landed triple toe, straight into the program. That's what I did with my quad suite.

- Nathan Chen

Program, Toe, Put, Triple

Triples are hard. Triple axel is just not my jump. Quads are really my thing.

- Nathan Chen

Hard, Just, Thing, Triple

Netflix isn't available internationally all the time, but the NBA is. It's nice to have something that feels like home.

- Nathan Chen

Like, Available, Feels, Internationally

I remember being a little kid walking down the grocery aisle seeing athletes on these cereal boxes.

- Nathan Chen

Kid, I Remember, Boxes, Cereal

Throughout the day, I'll snack a lot. I always have some breakfast cereal, like Kellogg's cereal, something on hand, so that I can just quickly get some carbs in.

- Nathan Chen

Some, Always, Like, Cereal

Emma Watson definitely is my celebrity crush. I love 'Harry Potter.' Plus, she's gorgeous, which really helps.

- Nathan Chen

Love, Celebrity, Which, Watson

From a logistical standpoint, I learned about when to peak, when to push, when to recover throughout the season.

- Nathan Chen

Recover, Learned, Standpoint, Season

I've skated after Yuzu a handful of times. The only thing I can take away from it is to be prepared for the Pooh-bears to be raining down from the audience.

- Nathan Chen

Audience, Away, Handful, Skated

I never got to go to prom or homecoming or a lot of the typical teenage stuff. But, if you think about it, I've gotten to go and meet different people and travel all over the world.

- Nathan Chen

Different People, Over, Homecoming

I do very scientific-based training. However, for skating, that's a little bit out of the ordinary. Many skaters base their off-ice training around plyometrics, whereas mine is very strength- and power-based.

- Nathan Chen

Very, However, Mine, Whereas

In terms of, like, interviews, I used to struggle a lot with interviews; I never knew what to say.

- Nathan Chen

Never, Lot, Terms, Struggle

My parents always enforce the idea of never giving up upon all of my siblings and me, and I think that's something that will stick with me my whole life.

- Nathan Chen

Think, Always, I Think, Enforce

To have all of these jumps in my arsenal is very beneficial. I can always alter my program so I can either play it safe, or I can play it risky with high reward. It depends on what I feel like I need that day.

- Nathan Chen

Play, Very, Jumps, Risky

An artistic standpoint - I've watched a lot of ballet and source some inspiration from how they move, connect with each other, and find meaning in their movement.

- Nathan Chen

Some, Other, Move, Standpoint

I really wanted to play hockey. My mom thought figure skates looked easier to use, so she put me in the learn-to-skate program.

- Nathan Chen

Play, Hockey, Figure, Skates

I really like to bike outdoors and love the weight-based workouts that I do. I am not the biggest fan of other cardio-based workouts. Off-season cardio sessions are pretty grueling.

- Nathan Chen

Love, Pretty, Other, Outdoors

I like the challenge and instant gratification of landing a new jump or learning a new element. That made me fall in love with the sport.

- Nathan Chen

Love, New, Like, Instant Gratification

I began skating in the official practice venue of the 2002 Games. It was a huge Olympic atmosphere with Apollo Ohno sitting on the wall every day when I walked into the rink. That was really cool and very inspiring to see.

- Nathan Chen

Atmosphere, Venue, Rink, Sitting

Once I really understood what skating was and what the Olympic really entailed, I knew that's what I wanted to do: I wanted to be there; I wanted to represent the U.S.

- Nathan Chen

Once, Wanted, Olympic, Understood

There's a lot of skaters that I look up to, and I think my biggest skating role models were the two Russian competitors at the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City. They really motivated me to follow my passion in skating, and it really blossomed from there.

- Nathan Chen

Role, I Think, Olympic, Olympic Games

I began skating when I was 3. It was during 2002, the year the Olympics were held in Salt Lake City.

- Nathan Chen

Salt, Year, Began, Lake

I hate spiders; I'm terrified of spiders.

- Nathan Chen

Hate, Terrified, Spiders

There are always benefits and good things, bad things that come out of every performance.

- Nathan Chen

Always, Benefits, Bad Things, Good Things

I think my parents felt us being a minority a little bit more than I did, and they tried to shelter me from that so I didn't feel it at all.

- Nathan Chen

Think, Shelter, I Think, Minority

My parents always wanted the very best for me and pushed me further and further, so that stuck with me.

- Nathan Chen

Always, Very, Wanted, Stuck

Personally, I feel like there should be some sort of cap on the quads, but we should still be pushing it to a certain number.

- Nathan Chen

Some, Like, Still, Cap

Half of learning a new element is just getting over the fear of doing it. Once you mentally prepare yourself enough to do the jump, that is really half the battle.

- Nathan Chen

New, Prepare, Over, Element

A lot of the things I do outside the rink are just to relax and recover. We spend so much time at the rink, so it's nice to decompress a little.

- Nathan Chen

Relax, Rink, Recover, So Much Time

As a kid growing up, I didn't want to tell any of my classmates I did figure-skating because I knew they'd be like, 'Oh, you're a skater, you're gay, blah blah blah.' So I kept it to myself. Once I started getting to more of an elite level, I didn't really care what people thought, though.

- Nathan Chen

Thought, Kid, Tell, Gay

I want to do something in medicine, for sure. I don't know what, exactly, that entails, but something along those lines.

- Nathan Chen

Sure, Along, Entails, Lines

There are always times when you don't want to go to the rink, or you don't want to do all the things you're supposed to do. Sometimes you're exhausted, or it's been a long week, but I always remind myself that this is my Olympic dream and the passion, because I love the sport very much.

- Nathan Chen

Love, Very, Rink, Remind

It's something I have to remind myself about, that at every competition, I put a lot of pressure on myself, almost like it's the end of the world, and I have to keep reminding myself it's not.

- Nathan Chen

Myself, Like, Almost, Remind

I've always had Russian coaches.

- Nathan Chen

Always, Russian, Had, Coaches

I have a very close family. I have four older siblings: two brothers and two sisters.

- Nathan Chen

Four, Brothers, Very, Sibling

I'm the baby for sure. My siblings are looking out for me, making sure I'm not doing something stupid. They are making sure my head is set straight and that I'm a good person outside of skating and inside of it, too.

- Nathan Chen

Stupid, Doing, Making, Sibling

These big jumps take a big toll on the body, especially a young body. So, it's kind of risk or reward, I guess.

- Nathan Chen

Reward, Young, Big, Toll

Like my parents taught me, never give up, and always love what you do.

- Nathan Chen

Love, Never, Always, Parents

I don't think the demographic for skating really entails a lot of basketball watching.

- Nathan Chen

Think, Entails, Lot, Demographic

I would love to be working in a hospital or in a completely different realm, working with or exploring the lives of animals.

- Nathan Chen

Love, Exploring, Would, Hospital

Skating is a sport that I found a lot of interest in from a very, very young age. Ultimately, I think that being on the ice, being in the cold, and trying things and challenging myself in different ways is something that made me really interested in skating.

- Nathan Chen

Young, I Think, Very, Young Age

Regardless of what I do, no matter how good it is, it's never, in my mind, 'flawless.'

- Nathan Chen

Mind, Never, How, Regardless

I start in the morning with something like a breakfast burrito and a smoothie, something that gives me enough protein and carbs to start my day.

- Nathan Chen

Start, Like, Carbs, Protein

It's like you get a high off the jumps, and you crave it, and you want to do it again and again and again.

- Nathan Chen

High, Like, Get, Crave

I want to be a full-package skater.

- Nathan Chen

Want, Skater

Ever since I was a younger skater, I've been working my way to these big jumps.

- Nathan Chen

Big, Younger, Been, Skater

Skating is a very beautiful sport, and I love watching new programs.

- Nathan Chen

Love, Beautiful, Very, Programs

If the jump is perfect, you come out, and you feel like you took a three-pointer in basketball or doing the perfect thing in whatever your sport is. You just get that adrenaline rush, a sense of satisfaction, like you want to do it again and again.

- Nathan Chen

Doing, Perfect, Took, Adrenaline

Maybe it's innate: I have a body built to jump.

- Nathan Chen

Maybe, Built, Innate, Jump

Once you land a jump, you put it straight in the program. That's the way I've always been doing it.

- Nathan Chen

Doing, Always, Been, Jump

We were all just taught to work as hard as we could, use these opportunities to advance, and just really appreciate all that we had.

- Nathan Chen

Work, Could, Use, Opportunities

I have confidence in how I've trained and prepared myself. I've dreamed about the Olympics for a long time, and it would be kind of silly and a waste to freak myself out.

- Nathan Chen

Waste, Prepared, Trained, Olympics

The Olympics have really motivated me, ever since I started skating as a little kid.

- Nathan Chen

Motivated, Ever, Little Kid, Olympics

Sometimes thinking about the Olympics makes me a little nervous.

- Nathan Chen

Sometimes, Nervous, About, Olympics

Just being here at the Olympics is pretty incredible in itself. Seeing the unity of the athletes and to see how everyone has worked so hard to get here - and we are all so excited to be here - it's awesome to be able to experience it.

- Nathan Chen

Here, Pretty, Everyone, Olympics

The Olympics really started motivating me from the very start. That was my dream from the very beginning.

- Nathan Chen

Beginning, Motivating, Very, Olympics

I always carry my phone with me. I always have a computer on me.

- Nathan Chen

Me, Computer, Always, Phone

My Chinese name is Chen Wei. I can speak a tiny, tiny bit, just basically get around, but I understand it decently well.

- Nathan Chen

Understand, Decently, Bit, Tiny

Skating in itself is a difficult sport, and the amazing athletes within the sport are very challenging.

- Nathan Chen

Amazing, Very, Itself, Challenging

I've been working on it a lot, trying to find the artistic balance, trying to find purpose in my movement combined with the jumps.

- Nathan Chen

Purpose, Been, Artistic, Jumps

I love jumping. I have always loved jumping. I love watching jumps. I love doing jumps.

- Nathan Chen

Love, Doing, Always, Jumps

That's something I'm actually very interested in doing, helping young skaters.

- Nathan Chen

Doing, Very, Actually, Skaters

Largely, I began skating because I wanted stuff to do outside of school. My mom decided to put me into figure skating.

- Nathan Chen

Skating, Began, Figure, Largely

My training and ballet background definitely gives me the competitive edge on the ice.

- Nathan Chen

Edge, Background, Definitely, Ballet

I think that ballet and skating definitely go hand in hand, especially growing up at Ballet West, which is an incredible academy.

- Nathan Chen

Think, I Think, Which, Ballet

I am proud to be a first-generation Chinese-American in the sport of figure skating.

- Nathan Chen

I Am, Proud, Figure, Figure Skating

I just like to keep pushing myself and the sport.

- Nathan Chen

Myself, Like, Keep, Pushing

You have to have passion for what you do, or else it's difficult when the going gets tough.

- Nathan Chen

Difficult, Going, Else, Gets

I try to get as close to 10 hours of sleep each night, as sleep is the best form of recovery.

- Nathan Chen

Best, Night, Hours, Each Night

I can't decide the results, but I can still put my best foot forward and try the best I can.

- Nathan Chen

Forward, Decide, Still, Foot

I really enjoy traveling to... I went to Spain. That was really cool. Japan was really cool. France was really cool.

- Nathan Chen

Cool, Spain, Japan, France

Ever since I started skating, making the Olympic team was my ultimate dream. It's what has inspired and motivated me throughout my entire career.

- Nathan Chen

Career, Making, Olympic, Throughout

It's crazy how fast time flies and how things progress.

- Nathan Chen

Fast, How, Flies, Time Flies

Being able to land all the quads, especially doing them all in one program, is mentally huge.

- Nathan Chen

Doing, Land, Able, Mentally

I am a first-generation American of Chinese decent. My parents were both born and raised in China and moved to the U.S. in their 20s.

- Nathan Chen

Born, Raised, Moved, Chinese

Every competition is different... You can't plan for everything that happens.

- Nathan Chen

Competition, Different, Plan

Team U.S.A. is awesome.

- Nathan Chen

Team, Awesome

I love skating. It's part of my life, and I never wanted to give it up.

- Nathan Chen

Love, My Life, Give, Skating

My family and parents were very influential in my skating career.

- Nathan Chen

Career, Very, Influential, Skating

My skating career won't last forever.

- Nathan Chen

Career, Forever, Last, Skating

When I watch my skating when I was younger, I definitely see all this balletic movement and this artistry come through.

- Nathan Chen

Through, Younger, Artistry, Skating

As a family, we are all intrinsically motivated.

- Nathan Chen

Family, Motivated

That would be pretty cool being the first one to do the quint.

- Nathan Chen

Cool, Pretty, Would, First One

I have my own life to live.

- Nathan Chen

Life, Live, Own, My Own

Really, I'm just a normal kid.

- Nathan Chen

Kid, Just, Really, Normal

It's been a dream of mine to be selected on the U.S. Olympic team as long as I can remember.

- Nathan Chen

Remember, Been, Mine, Olympic

My parents did not come to the U.S. with much; they had a lot of hardship.

- Nathan Chen

Come, Had, Lot, Hardship

I like biology a lot.

- Nathan Chen

Like, Lot, Biology

I genuinely dislike sequins.

- Nathan Chen

Genuinely, Dislike

Every day's a new day.

- Nathan Chen

Day, New, Every, A New Day

Honestly, I am human. I make mistakes.

- Nathan Chen

I Am, Honestly, Am, Mistakes

There's always things that I can improve on.

- Nathan Chen

I Can, Always, Things, Improve

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