God gave me this illness to remind me that I'm not number One; he is.

God gave me this illness to remind me that I'm not number One; he is.

Don't count the days, make the days count.

Don't count the days, make the days count.

The service you do for others is the rent you pay for the time you spend on earth.

The service you do for others is the rent you pay for the time you spend on earth.

Statement after losing his first fight to Ken Norton, March 31, 1973: I never thought of losing, but now that read more

Statement after losing his first fight to Ken Norton, March 31, 1973: 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.

I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, read more

I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.

The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses — behind the lines, in the gym and out there read more

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.

I'm gonna have to be killed before I lose, and I ain't going to die easy.

I'm gonna have to be killed before I lose, and I ain't going to die easy.

Service to others is the rent which you pay for your room here on earth.

Service to others is the rent which you pay for your room here on earth.

I say get an education. Become an electrician, a mechanic, a doctor, a lawyer — anything but a fighter. In read more

I say get an education. Become an electrician, a mechanic, a doctor, a lawyer — anything but a fighter. In this trade, it's the managers that make the money and last the longest.