Actions Speak Louder Than Words

What does it mean to care about swimming? What is the barometer for determining whether or not a person actually really does genuinely care about their swimming and what they want achieve within the sport? Is it determined by how they feel emotionally towards those things? Or, is it determined more by their actions, how they carry themselves, and the things they actually go out and do?

In other words, which one speaks louder: Actions or words?