Olympic Gold Medalist and philanthropist Muhammad Ali was considered the greatest boxer of all time.
According to reports, Muhammad Ali passed away due to respiratory complications at 74, on June 3 in Phoenix, Arizona. Known as the “greatest heavyweight boxing champ of all time,” Muhammad Ali was an activist, a storyteller, and a devout man of faith. A symbol of Black excellence and an American cultural icon, we bid farewell to one of “the greatest” with several Muhammad Ali quotes that give us a glimpse into the mind of a legend.
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Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see. Now you see me, now you don’t. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t.
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The word ‘Islam’ means ‘peace.’ The word ‘Muslim’ means ‘one who surrenders to God.’ But the press makes us seem like haters.
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The government had a system where the rich man’s son went to college, and the poor man’s son went to war.
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I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick; I’m so mean I make medicine sick.
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If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.
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Cassius Clay is a name that white people gave to my slave master. Now that I am free, that I don’t belong anymore to anyone, that I’m not a slave anymore, I gave back their white name, and I chose a beautiful African one.
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When you can whip any man in the world, you never know peace.
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It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.
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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.
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It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.
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Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
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I’m young; I’m handsome; I’m fast. I can’t possibly be beat.
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Don’t count the days; make the days count.
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If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it—then I can achieve it.
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It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.
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If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize.
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Braggin’ is when a person says something and can’t do it. I do what I say.
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I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.
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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.
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I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.
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I should be a postage stamp. That’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.
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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.
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He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
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A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.
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I shook up the world. Me! Whee!
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I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’
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A man who has no imagination has no wings.
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He’s (Sonny Liston) too ugly to be the world champ. The world champ should be pretty like me!
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I am the astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Dempsey were just jet pilots. I’m in a world of my own.
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Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.
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It’s not bragging if you can back it up.
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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.
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It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.
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I’m not the greatest, I’m the double greatest.
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Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you’re going to be right.”
What’s your most memorable Ali quote?
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I loved this blog. May the GOAT rest in paradise.