Quotes by Tony Hawk

When I started skating, it was such a small community. You didn't aspire to be rich or famous or make a career out of it because that wasn't something anyone had done yet.

Being different is awesome! All of those who are different are more interesting than those who are clamoring for acceptance because they follow the path.

For those that say I endanger my child: it's more likely that you will fall while walking on the sidewalk than I will while skating with my daughter.

There's a stigma to skating. People think of it as a kid's sport. People kept telling me I couldn't possibly make a living out of it. Then they said I couldn't keep it up in my 30s. And here I am in my 40s, and I'm still improving my skills.

I was a lot more cultured than the other kids in my high school. Because I traveled, I understood different cultures and had a more worldly view. Most of the people I went to high school with had never been outside of California.

Skateistan's not just about skating. It's giving people life skills and hope for the future.

The irony about selling out is that they only call you a sell-out when your stuff finally sells -- I've had products bearing my name since I was 14, but nobody was buying them then.

I played team sports, but I never felt like I fitted in that well, so this allowed me to be part of a community but to do it in my own way.

When your daughter asks you to be a fairy for her 5th birthday party... you better be a damned fairy.

There are endorsements I regret taking when I was younger and didn't know any better. But I didn't have options then. People weren't knocking on my door.

When I landed the first 900 at the XGames, it was just -- it was a personal achievement. It was something that I have strived for for years and years and years, and in a lot of ways had given up on it. But I just didn't think of the resonance that would have.

All I care about is that people remember me as a good skater, as someone who was innovative.

My definition of success is doing what you love. I feel many people do things because they feel they have to, and are hesitant to risk following their passion.

Snowboarding is a spawn of skating, and skating is my passion.

When you break your pelvis, you can't do a whole lot. It took me about six weeks to be able to get out of bed. Anything you do that shakes your body is painful all over, so you can't cough, you can't sneeze, and going to the bathroom is impossible.

Skating was popular, but it wasn't mainstream. It had this underground following, and you could go on tours, win decent prize money, and make royalties from signature products -- that's how I came to buy a house when I was a senior in high school.

When you've got videos up on Web sites that are literally shot the same day, the whole skate community knows right away when new tricks are invented or new techniques are available.

I started skateboarding at around age 10, and enjoyed the artistic aspect of it as much as the sporting aspect, so for me it was more of an art form and a lifestyle.

I'm proud that I was able to use my recognition to, maybe, raise the awareness of skateboarding and help grow it, and to help fund public skateparks. That's the legacy, just trying to grow the entire sport.

There were so many things associated with it in terms of music and fashion, and a different way of thinking that, for me, skateboarding represented so much of what I wanted to do with my life at an early age.

Big decisions in my life have always come easy and are made without hesitation. It is easier for me to make a life-changing decision than to decide what to get for dessert.

I think skateboarding is hugely challenging -- it teaches you self-confidence, it teaches you self-motivation, and it can be something that helps you throughout your life.

I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport.

If you have a game with your name on it, you have to learn how to play.

I jumped between two seven-story buildings in Los Angeles, launching from one rooftop to the other with ramps.

The biggest lesson I learned from my dad is to support children even if they're doing something that is unorthodox.

If I can stand up when I'm 80, I'll be happy to cruise around on a skateboard. If I feel like my skills are fading, I just won't do it publicly.

Don't be afraid of girls. That is my big regret. Knowing what I know about girls, I should have just gone for it. Guys are such wimps.

In ramp skating, there's this guy Alex Perelson who's really coming into his own and doing some amazing new stuff we haven't seen before. Just different types of spin.

Technology has allowed me to reach my fans directly. Social media: it has been a complete revolution of how to interact, promote and share things.

I've definitely had my share of calls where I just laugh. Someone came to me once and wanted to do a signature Hawk cologne. I was like, 'Of what? Sweaty pads? Am I wringing out my pads into a little perfume bottle?'

I believe that people should take pride in what they do, even if it is scorned or misunderstood by the public at large.

If you look at the success of snowboarding in the Winter Games and how that's brought a more youthful edge to the Olympics in general, they don't have that with the Summer Games. They don't have anything that's drawing in a younger viewership.

I changed high schools three times because my parents moved. I had one friend my freshman year named Miki Vukovich. Miki and I were the only skaters in our high school. He runs my foundation now.

I feel like skateboarding is as much of a sport as a lifestyle, and an art form, so there's so much that that transcends in terms of music, fashion, and entertainment.

I love snowboarding, but I would never want to do it competitively or at a professional level. Snowboarding is a spawn of skating, and skating is my passion.

Honestly, the best skater that I've seen who raps is Tyler, The Creator. He really can skate... He's legit.

I won't quit skating until I am physically unable.

I wanted to promote skateboarding as much as possible through different media.

I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport. 'Action sport' would be the least offensive categorization.

I was nerdy and really into computers. I was a good student until my senior year, when I started traveling and had a lot of absences.

The pro skaters I know are responsible members of society. Many of them are fathers, homeowners, world travelers and successful entrepreneurs. Their hairdos and tattoos are simply part of our culture, even when they raise eyebrows during PTA meetings.

You might not make it to the top, but if you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous.