On both of my flights, everything went very well.

When God made the colour purple, God was just showing off.

The arts and sciences are avatars of human creativity.

I always knew I'd go to space.

The thing that I have done throughout my life is to do the best job that I can and to be me.

Greatness can be captured in one word: lifestyle. Life is God's gift to you, style is what you make of it.

Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations.

For a long time, society put obstacles in the way of women who wanted to enter the sciences.

I don't have any nicknames.

Yes, I did feel a special responsibility to be the first American woman in space.

It's too bad our society isn't further along.

If it wasn't for the women's movement, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Rocket science is tough, and rockets have a way of failing.

The rockets light! The shuttle leaps off the launch pad in a cloud of steam and a trail of fire.

Because I was a tennis player, Billie Jean King was a hero of mine.

Weightless is a great equalizer.

I can't remember a single time [my parents] ever told me not to do something I wanted to do.

I have been a bit of a risk-taker all my life.

I find myself looking around for other new, interesting opportunities to dive into.