Mike Tyson Quotes

“I am not a role model.”

“I felt Holyfield was using his head illegally. I told the referee I wasn't getting any help, so I went back to the streets. I cannot defend it, but it happened.”

“Kindness and humbleness are really good qualities to possess. But, if you have to use the word humble, it means you're not humble. And if you're not humble to this world, this world will thrust humbleness upon you.”

“I'm many things: I'm a convicted rapist, I'm a hell-raiser, I'm a father, a loving father. I'm a semi-good husband...I'm pretty much a tyrant-titan.”

“People relate to fighters so much because fighting reflects life.”

“I'm a good friend, but I'm a hell of an enemy. As your enemy, I want your demise. When I feel that in my heart it burns till I die.”

“I'm not much for talking. You know what I do. I put guys in body bags when I'm right.”

“On stage it's just a wild setting - we have a big screen - hecklers, I'm fighting. It's entertainment, but I want to pierce [the audience's] souls and have them think about what I have to say.”

“I don't want to be grotesque, but when you're 330 pounds, it's hard to wipe your a-. You know?”

“When I was in prison, I was wrapped up in all those deep books. That Tolstoy crap - people shouldn't read that stuff.”

“I didn't know how to be any other way. I felt like one of those barbarian kings just coming to conquer the Roman Empire.”

“I don't want my kids to be like me, I don't want my daughter to date a guy like me. You know, for a guy like me success is to take care of my children to take care of their life and make 'em cushioned. I don't want them to be around people like me. You know, success for me would be that they never have the opportunity of being in the presence of someone like me.”

“You think the speed of your fingers can match the strength of my fists?”

“In the scheme of life, in emotion and loss, I responded the way I did. I lost. I shouldn't have responded that way. I've had some people tell me that I did a great thing - sticking up for myself - but to me, personally, with the way that I handled my emotions, I lost. But I learned. That will not happen again.”

“I'm just trying to change my life because I'm not above killing any drug dealer for money.”

“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour. If Tetris has taught me anything, it's that errors pile up & accomplishments disappear. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

“You can’t be disturbed by anything. There’s no emotion involved. You can’t feel sorrow, you can’t feel pity, there’s nothing you feel. The job has to be done.”

“I'm a historian, and that freaks me out.”

“I hate to cry and I hate to sound like sour grapes, but no one ever listens to me. No one ever hears what I have to say.”

“My main objective is to be professional but to kill him.”

“[Cus D'Amato] told me, 'You're the type of guy who has to be hurt to learn.' I'm pissed off today because he was right about everything.”

“You stand your ground and you perform your art. That's what the artist does. The artist is about perfection.”

“When you have something in life that you want to accomplish greatly, you have to be willing to give up your happiness…I’ve lost all my sensitivity as far as being embarrassed, being shy, you just have to lose that.”

“Hard times fall upon everybody. Whatever it is, we're going to get out of it.”

“Some people try to get you out of slavery for you to be their slave.”