If Muhammad Ali is known for anything other than boxing it would be for speaking his mind. Whether he was inside or out of the ring, you knew where he stood. Here are a few quotes from the one who first called himself “The Greatest.”
It didn’t take long for everyone else to call him that, too.
By some accounts, Ali is in very serious condition in a Phoenix-area hospital, suffering from a respiratory ailment.
Here’s some of the quotes he is most remembered for.
1. “People don't realize what they had till it's gone. Like President Kennedy, there was no one like him, the Beatles, and my man Elvis Presley. I was the Elvis of boxing."
2. "My trainer don't tell me nothing between rounds. I don't allow him to. I fight the fight. All I want to know is did I win the round. It's too late for advice."
3. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
4. "I've made my share of mistakes along the way, but if I have changed even one life for the better, I haven't lived in vain."
5. "I am the astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Dempsey were just jet pilots. I'm in a world of my own."
6. "I know where I'm going and I know the truth, and I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want."
7. "If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you."
8. "The word 'Islam' means 'peace.' The word 'Muslim' means 'one who surrenders to God.' But the press makes us seem like haters."
9. "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."
10. "Anywhere I go, there is always an incredible crowd that follows me. In Rome, as I land at the airport, even the men kiss me. I love Rome."
11. "Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change."
12. "Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are."
13. "I don't have to be what you want me to be."
14."If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize."
15. "I have been so great in boxing they had to create an image like Rocky, a white image on the screen, to counteract my image in the ring. America has to have its white images, no matter where it gets them. Jesus, Wonder Woman, Tarzan and Rocky."
16. "Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other up."
17. "Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even."
Source: BrainyQuote
