Many years ago, a great fighter, the likes of which has never been seen before or after, took hold of a spotlight that lasted long beyond his prime. Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., delighted boxing fans, sports fans, and the general public with both his superior performance in the ring, and his uncompromising wit, humor, and wisdom before and after each fight.
Below is a collection of Muhammad Ali quotes for you to enjoy, be inspired by, and laugh at.
Confidence Quotes
“A rooster crows only when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he'll never crow. I have seen the light and I'm crowing.”
“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.”
“I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.”
“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.”
“It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.”
“It's not bragging if you can back it up.”
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."
Super-Insane Confidence Quotes
“I am the astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Dempsey were just jet pilots. I'm in a world of my own.”
“I figure I'll be champ for about ten years and then I'll let my brother take over - like the Kennedys down in Washington.”
“I'm not the greatest; I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round.”
“I'm the most recognized and loved man that ever lived cuz there weren't no satellites when Jesus and Moses were around, so people far away in the villages didn't know about them.”
“It's hard to be humble, when you're as great as I am.”
Hilarious Quotes
“Frazier is so ugly that he should donate his face to the US Bureau of Wild Life.”
“I'll beat him so bad he'll need a shoehorn to put his hat on.”
“I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.”
“If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize.”
“My toughest fight was with my first wife.”
Wise Quotes
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
“A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”
“Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.”
“Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.”
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
“I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world.”
“If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.”
“It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe.”
“It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.”
“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.”
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
“Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer.”
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.”
“There are no pleasures in a fight but some of my fights have been a pleasure to win.”
“To be able to give away riches is mandatory if you wish to possess them. This is the only way that you will be truly rich.”
Keeping It Real Quotes
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”
“I never thought of losing, but now that it's happened, the only thing is to do it right. That's my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life.”
“It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.”
“Life is a gamble. You can get hurt, but people die in plane crashes, lose their arms and legs in car accidents; people die every day. Same with fighters: some die, some get hurt, some go on. You just don't let yourself believe it will happen to you.”
“My way of joking is to tell the truth. That's the funniest joke in the world.”
“There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people.”
“What keeps me going is goals.”
