I wanted to write about my mother as she should have been if she had not been messed up by World War I. Doris Lessing
I wanted to write something in a voice that was unique to who I was. And I wanted something that was accessible to the person who works at Dunkin Donuts or who drives a bus, someone who comes home with their feet hurting like my father, someone who's busy and has too many children, like my mother. Sandra Cisneros
I was a hyper kid, so I didn't want to play baseball and wait for the ball to come to me. I wanted to play a sport where I could go get the ball. Shane Larkin
I was a quarterback in pee-wee football. I always wanted to be quarterback. They're the leaders, they make the calls. It didn't work out because I didn't have the arm. I also played wide receiver my senior year in high school. Junior Seau
I was always active as a child. My dad tried to place me in every sport imaginable. I had so much energy, he wanted to push me in a direction where that energy was used appropriately to keep me out of trouble and focused while I was in school. Apolo Ohno
I was always really inspired by watching the older girls competing, just seeing other Olympians do great things, and I just really wanted to be a part of that whole experience. And to be able to represent USA was always a goal of mine. Aly Raisman
I was just a big fan of tattoos always growing up, and I wanted something cool that symbolizes what I've been through in my life, and everything on my chest and my back is like a collage.Kevin Durant
I was on the sideline with a knee injury and when I came back, I wanted to play at the best level I could. And that's the case for a lot of players, they want the chance to play against the best competition. Claudio Reyna
I wasn't really happy with the way 2008 turned out for me. I wanted to change some things. Ryan Lochte
I went into journalism to learn the craft of writing and to get close to the world I wanted to write about - police and criminals, the criminal justice system. Michael Connelly
I went through a period at boarding school when my coaches wanted me to switch to snowboarding because they thought I was no good at skiing. I was too skinny. I had terrible technique. They were saying I should be a snowboarder, and luckily, I resisted. Bode Miller
I went through that phase where I wanted to almost be different than my brother. Just kind of argued a little louder or if there was a curfew, I always came in a little later than I was supposed to. If it was set for 12, I would come in at 12:45. I would test the limits a little. There was no real reason and I grew out of it, eventually. Eli Manning
I wrote 'The Zombie Survival Guide' because I wanted to read it, and nobody else was writing it. All I've been doing with everything I've written is answering questions that I had. Max Brooks
I wrote stories from the time I was a little girl, but I didn't want to be a writer. I wanted to be an actress. I didn't realize then that it's the same impulse. It's make-believe. It's performance. Joan Didion
I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to be caught out there with anything though, it wouldn't be professional. Gaylord Perry
I'd pretty much given up hope of being published, so I just wrote the book I wanted to read. Kate Morton
I'm a comic nerd. I'm a former serious collector for much of my childhood and early teen years I wanted to draw underground comics. Anthony Bourdain
I'm not running for state Senate because I wanted to become a politician. I'm running because I wanted to serve. Carl Lewis