Happy Birthday Duke Kahanamoku!

Out of the water, I am nothing.

I have never coasted down a hill of frozen rain.

Don't talk - keep it in your heart.

I hardly remember whether I learned how to walk or how to swim first. One of the first things I remember is taking a cracker box board and pushing it ahead of me to swim out into the surf, using it like a surfboard. You can take a small board and go a long way. I used to swim out, turn around and come back through the surf. Afterward, I used a surfboard, of course.

A funny thing about my swimming is that from the time I was a kid I used a modern crawl kick. That's supposed to be a modern invention, but I used it naturally - always used it. Nobody ever showed it to me.

I like the feel of the fresh air and the salt water. I believe in keeping active.

Before I left that fabulous land, the Australians had already turned to making their own boards and practicing what I had shown them in the surf.

I have no doubt the ancient Hawaiians used every stroke we know and perhaps had better swimming form than we'll ever have.

I always eat whatever I feel like eating. I eat fruit, vegetables, steak - anything. I eat pie and ice cream if I want it. I eat fish. Sometimes I eat fish raw, in our ancient way.

I swim all the year round at Honolulu. The water doesn't change much.

Just take your time - wave comes. Let the other guys go, catch another one.

Every day of the year where the water is 76, day and night, and the waves roll high, I take my sled, without runners, and coast down the face of the big waves that roll in at Waikiki.

I have never seen snow and do not know what winter means.