My toughest fight was with my first wife.

My toughest fight was with my first wife.

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.

Fifteen referees. I want fifteen referees to be at this fight because there ain't no one man who can keep read more

Fifteen referees. I want fifteen referees to be at this fight because there ain't no one man who can keep up with the pace I'm gonna set except me. There's not a man alive who can whup me. I'm too fast. I'm too smart. I'm too pretty. I should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll ever get licked.

Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his read more

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

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.

To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are.

To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are.

It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.

It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.

Of course that is not the whole story, but that is the way with stories; we make them what we read more

Of course that is not the whole story, but that is the way with stories; we make them what we will. It's a way of explaining the universe while leaving the universe unexplained, it's a way of keeping it all alive, not boxing it into time. Everyone who tel

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.