Ashley Wagner quotes:

I'm not a pretty princess, and I'm aware of that, so I like music that is really intense, really bold, and characters that in a way almost have a dark side and are kind of evil because, for me, that's when I feel my strongest and fiercest, when I'm not necessarily the good girl.

After a pretty amazing year that included more wins than I thought possible, I rang in 2013 by watching the Times Square ball drop on TV... and then heading directly to bed. It might not have been the typical New Year's Eve for a 21-year-old, but what can I say? It was a training night!

If I train well and stay focused, I'm confident I can deliver when the time comes.

I just believe in equality for all.

I love Pinterest! Pinterest is absolutely phenomenal when you're trying to come up with a costume design.

Twitter is a blessing and a curse at the same time.

Some skaters, they live for skating, and they are home-schooled. I'm very lucky my parents let me go to school and have a normal life.

I give myself a cheat day where I annihilate my diet. I'm an all-American girl, so I go for a burger and fries and a shake.

In this crazy, crazy world of figure skating, it is easy to focus on a name or a target. But when you are going after someone, it really only holds you back from what you are capable of yourself.

A lot of people who watch figure skaters want us to look like pretty princesses. I want people to see the athlete, and I want to look like a woman among girls.

Skaters are infamously superstitious.

I love hanging out with friends and family.

I always loved Michelle Kwan's outfits. Most of them were designed by Vera Wang, and they're just so simple, but the fabric that they used and the way that it was sewn together look so elegant and rich. You could tell that time had been put into it. It wasn't just another spandex, stucco-covered costume.

For me, I have gay family members, and I have a lot of friends in the LBGT community.

My mom devised a plan to get me out of the house and gave me the choice between ballet or skating. She knew both of those sports were time-consuming and would keep me busy with hours of practice.

I think growing up in skating, I was surrounded by the LGBT community, so I grew up very aware because I was around it so often, and some of the kindest people I know are gay figure skaters.

When my parents were paying for my sport, it wasn't just me out on the ice. Pretty much every dollar my mom made teaching went into my skating.

I hate doing Tabatas - you do whatever you want at high intensity for 20 seconds, and then get a 10 second break and you repeat that for 8 minutes. So you can do jumping jacks for 20 seconds, you can do sprints for 20 seconds, etc. It's supposed to help you get your endurance up really fast.

The fact that an icon would even utter my name or have any idea of who I am is absolutely unreal.

I'm a strong-headed person, and you can always tell how I'm feeling in that moment.

I live in California, so I do stand-up paddle board, which is a killer workout. I also run, about four miles every three days.

I'm a show pony, and I don't get to skate with girls doing triple Axels every single day. I skate with little babies who are working on their single Axels while trying not to hit them on the ice.

I've had so many critics over the past couple of months. I've had so many people who said I'm too old for this, I am burnt out. But, you know what, I am so hungry to make a career for myself. I was able to turn all this negativity into something positive.

I know roughly when I skate a good program where the score should end up.

From a young age, I was viciously competitive.

I try to stay low-carb and high on lean protein. I'm lucky in that I love chicken and rice; it's one of my favorite meals. I steam some vegetables and top them with olive oil for some flavor.

Nothing has been easy for me... I've always had to work for everything I've gotten and everything I've accomplished.

I'm scrappy.

I'm so proud to be an Army brat, but it was not an easy life. Moving around so much, skating was that one constant thing I had to hold on to.

I think the great thing about social media is it gives people access to you on a totally personal level that they didn't have before, so it's really important, and it's a great way to get people involved and excited about what you're doing.

Adding an Olympic medal to everything that I have already accomplished would be so huge for me.

You should not be defined by one bad performance.

Covergirl is my sponsor, and they have been so helpful in supplying me with their wonderful products. I love their blush, mascara and lip gloss.

Years ago, I tore out a Nike ad featuring Allyson Felix and Maria Sharapova looking super fierce and tough. I always told my family that I wanted to be like them someday, so to come home to my apartment and see boxes of Nike gear stacked higher than my doorknob is pretty much a dream come true.

I haven't mastered the art of sitting and smiling.

I want people to see a real person on the ice. I want to seem tangible, hard-working, passionate about my skating, not just going out and doing something I've rehearsed a million times.

I love 'The Vampire Diaries!' I can't help it - it's such a teeny-bopper show, but I think I just like it to stare at the guys.

Seabeck is slow to change.

When I'm competing, I need to be strong.

I can adapt to change easily, but I'm not a fan of it.

It just comes kind of naturally to me to take something and try and make it relatable and interesting to someone who doesn't know everything about skating.

I want to stay involved in sports in one way or another.

I'm the type of skater that needs to stay upbeat and relaxed, open, because if I stay quiet, I get in my head, and then I start to think too much and start to doubt.

I'm such a strong-headed person and so stubborn, I don't need someone to be sweet to me.

I love to win, honestly. ... If you love to win, you should say it. And honestly, I'm hooked on it.

When Im competing, I need to be strong.

I really believe that women who are confident in their natural beauty are the most beautiful

Off the ice, I can be soft, and I can be elegant and sweet.

The Grand Prix Final is an opportunity for me to go out and experience new jumping passes in competition. I put in a triple loop-half loop-triple Salchow in the second of the program. It's a very difficult jumping pass so this is a chance for me to try out the new elements and the adjusted jumping layout to get prepared for nationals.

I havent mastered the art of sitting and smiling.