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.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

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.

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.

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

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

I'm the best. I just haven't played yet [on his golf game].

I'm the best. I just haven't played yet [on his golf game].

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.

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.