“I'm gonna have to be killed before I lose, and I ain't going to die easy.”
“It all started to come together when I realized that boxing was how I was going to succeed in life.”
“Don't ever squeeze a fighter's hand, man. You're doing good just to lay your eyes on me”
“At home I am a nice guy: but I don't want the world to know. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far.”
“What counts in the ring is what you can do after you're exhausted. The same is true of life.”
“I know I got it made while the masses of black people are catchin' hell, but as long as they ain't free, I ain't free.”
“Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other up.”
“A fighter can condition his body to go hard certain rounds, then to coast certain rounds.”
“The worst man is the one who sees himself as the best.”
“I'm not trying to get power over white. I'm involved in a freedom struggle. Not a power struggle.”
“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.”
“When it comes to love, compassion, and other feelings of the heart, I am rich.”
“I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.”
“I'm the most recognised and loved man that ever lived”
“I'm not the greatest; I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round.”
“What you are thinking is what you are becoming.”
“How come the Chinese can go where I can't go in America? Englishmen can come and set up a business in white America and do things I can't do.The Puerto Rican, Hawaiians, just about everybody can do more than black people and are more respected.”
“What’s my greatest weakness? Sad stories, people with problems”
“Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.”
“Children make you want to start life over.”
“Put yourself out on a limb, sucka, like me! - young Cassius Clay to heavily favored thug Sonny Liston during the weigh in before Cassius wins his first title and changes his name to Muhammad Ali.”
“I have nothing to lose by standing up and following my beliefs. So I'll go to jail, so what? We have been in jail for years.”
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
“You're not going to enjoy every minute of the journey, but the success you'll find at the end will make it all worth it.”
“I’m young, I’m handsome, I’m fast, I’m pretty, and can’t possibly be beat. They must fall in the round I call.”
