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In the wake of another losing year, everyone should make an effort to cheer themselves up. What better way to improve your mood than with a few inspiring and motivating quotes?
This article is designed for people of all ages who have something on their mind, whether it’s a college assignment or just your own personal growth. Included within are some of the best Muhammad Ali quotes ideas in 2024, from one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Who Is Muhammad Ali?
Ali was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky was an American boxer, activist, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
After turning professional, Ali became the world heavyweight champion in 1964 and successfully defended his title nine times. In 1966, he refused to be drafted into the military, citing religious reasons. He was arrested and found guilty of draft evasion.
He was stripped of his boxing title and banned from boxing for three years. Ali’s appeal worked its way up to the Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971.
During his ban from boxing, Ali traveled to Africa and the Middle East on a pilgrimage. He also made a historic visit to meet with the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad.
In 1974, Ali regained the heavyweight title from George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in Zaire. He then defeated Chuck Wepner to become the first boxer to knock out a heavyweight champion. In 1975, he defeated Joe Frazier in the “Thrilla in Manila” fight, which was one of the greatest fights in boxing history.
After winning the heavyweight title for the third time in 1978, Ali retired from boxing in 1979. In 1984, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome, a degenerative neurological condition. Ali devoted his later years to charitable work and public speaking. He died on June 3, 2016, at the age of 74.
Muhammad Ali’s Best Quotes
“Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer.” – Muhammad Ali
“To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If not, pretend you are.” – Muhammad Ali
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – Muhammad Ali
“I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.” – Muhammad Ali
“A man who has no imagination has no wings.” – Muhammad Ali
“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother or some darker people or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America.”- Muhammad Ali
“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” – Muhammad Ali
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” – Muhammad Ali
“He’s (Sonny Liston) too ugly to be the world champ. The world champ should be pretty like me!” – Muhammad Ali
“My toughest fight was with my first wife.” – Muhammad Ali
“When George Foreman meets me,
He’ll pay his debt.
I can drown the drink of water, and kill a dead tree.
Wait till you see Muhammad Ali. – Muhammad Ali
“If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.” – Muhammad Ali
“I would like to be remembered as a man who won the three-time heavyweight champion. Who was humorous and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him, and who helped as many people as he could. As a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what. As a man who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love. And if all that’s too much, then I guess I’d settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people. And I wouldn’t even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was.” – Muhammad Ali
“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.” – Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali Quotes About Life
“Life is so, so short. Bible says it’s like a vapor.” – Muhammad Ali
“I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.” – Muhammad Ali
“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.” – Muhammad Ali
“Jokes? There are no jokes. The truth is the funniest joke of all.” – Muhammad Ali
“I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I did handcuff lightning. And throw thunder in jail.” – Muhammad Ali
“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.” – Muhammad Ali
“Put yourself out on a limb, sucka, like me!” – Muhammad Ali
“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” – Muhammad Ali
“There are no pleasures in a fight, but some of my fights have been a pleasure to win.” – Muhammad Ali
“We can’t be brave without fear.” – Muhammad Ali
“I calculate that I took 20,000 punches, but I earned millions and kept a lot of it. I may talk slow, but my mind is OK.” – Muhammad Ali
“I know I can learn to hit without getting hit.” – Muhammad Ali
“Don’t count the days; make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali
“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” – Muhammad Ali
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” – Muhammad Ali
“The greatest victory in life is to rise above the material things that we once valued most.” – Muhammad Ali
“I am the astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Dempsey were just jet pilots. I’m in a world of my own.” – Muhammad Ali
“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.” – Muhammad Ali
“No one knows what to say in the loser’s locker room.” – Muhammad Ali
“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.” – Muhammad Ali
“My principles are more important than the money or my title.” – Muhammad Ali
“What keeps me going is goals.” – Muhammad Ali
“When I won the Golden Gloves in 1960, that made me realize I had a chance. And when I won at the Olympics, that sealed it: I was the champ.” – Muhammad Ali
“Truly great people in history never wanted to be great for themselves. All they wanted was the chance to do good for others and be close to God.” – Muhammad Ali
“Too many easy victories can ruin a fighter just as much as a long line of defeats.” – Muhammad Ali
“It’s in my blood to be around people while I was training.” – Muhammad Ali
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Muhammad Ali Inspirational Quotes
“People don’t realize what they had till it’s gone. Like President Kennedy, there was no one like him, the Beatles, and my man Elvis Presley. I was the Elvis of boxing.” – Muhammad Ali
“The critics only made me work harder.” – Muhammad Ali
“I’m not the greatest, I’m the double greatest.” – Muhammad Ali
“Live every day as if it were your last because someday you’re going to be right.” – Muhammad Ali
“Superman don’t need no seat belt.” – Muhammad Ali
“It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.” – Muhammad Ali
“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.” – Muhammad Ali
“Wisdom is knowing when you can’t be wise.” – Muhammad Ali
“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” – Muhammad Ali
“I shook up the world. Me! Whee!” – Muhammad Ali
“Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” – Muhammad Ali
“I’ve made my share of mistakes along the way, but if I have changed even one life for the better, I haven’t lived in vain.” – Muhammad Ali
“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.” – Muhammad Ali
“What you’re thinking is what you’re becoming.” – Muhammad Ali
“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.” – Muhammad Ali
“I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world.” – Muhammad Ali
“The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road; long before I dance under those lights.” – Muhammad Ali
“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” – Muhammad Ali
“My wealth is in my knowledge of self, love, and spirituality.” – Muhammad Ali
“When you want to talk about who made me, you talk to me. Who made me, is me.” – Muhammad Ali
“There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people.” – Muhammad Ali
“Champions aren’t made in gyms.” – Muhammad Ali
“It takes pride and tiger’s drive to build up the confidence, the ego the power to defeat an opponent in the ring.” – Muhammad Ali
“Now you see me, now you don’t.” – Muhammad Ali
“I don’t get hit. I’m the fastest thing on two feet man!” – Muhammad Ali
“Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change.” – Muhammad Ali
“I said I was ‘The Greatest,’ I never said I was ‘The Smartest!’” – Muhammad Ali
“I may have been the best fighter, but I was also the poorest. I had never been able to afford a first-class mouthpiece to protect my teeth. I had to wait until other fighters finished so I could borrow their headgear, or their trunk or bandages.” – Muhammad Ali
“I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given. I believed in myself, and I believe in the goodness of others.” – Muhammad Ali
“I’ve never let anyone talk me into not believing in myself.” – Muhammad Ali
“Not only do I knock ’em out, but I also pick the round.” – Muhammad Ali
“Friendship is a priceless gift that cannot be bought nor sold, but its value is far greater than a mountain made of gold.” – Muhammad Ali
“It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.” – Muhammad Ali
“You are as old as you think you are.” – Muhammad Ali
“Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – Muhammad Ali
“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it — then I can achieve it.” – Muhammad Ali
“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” – Muhammad Ali
“His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.” – Muhammad Ali
“I know no fighter can survive the loss if he feels sorry for himself when he’s defeated.” – Muhammad Ali
“When you are as great as I am it is hard to be humble.” – Muhammad Ali
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see. Now you see me, now you don’t. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t.” – Muhammad Ali
“Live every day as if it were your last because someday you’re going to be right.” – Muhammad Ali
“If you even dream of beating me, you’d better wake up and apologize.” – Muhammad Ali
“We spend more time learning how to make a living than we do learning how to make a life.” – Muhammad Ali
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth. – Muhammad Ali
“Even the greatest was once a beginner. Don’t be afraid to take that first step.” – Muhammad Ali
“Recognize how every moment of our journey is an important part of the growth of our soul.” – Muhammad Ali
“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.” – Muhammad Ali
“I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And throw thunder in jail.” – Muhammad Ali
“When you can whip any man in the world, you never know peace.” – Muhammad Ali
“I believe in the eye-for-an-eye business. I’m no cheek turner.” – Muhammad Ali
“Others may know pleasure, but pleasure is not happiness. It has no more importance than a shadow following a man.” – Muhammad Ali
“When it comes to love, compassion, and other feelings of the heart, I am rich.” – Muhammad Ali
“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.” ― Muhammad Ali
“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.” – Muhammad Ali
“I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.”
“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.”– Muhammad Ali
“It takes a lot out of a fighter to throw punches that land in thin air.” – Muhammad Ali
“My way of joking is to tell the truth. That’s the funniest joke in the world.” – Muhammad Ali
“I should be a postage stamp. That’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.” – Muhammad Ali
“Old age is just a record of one’s whole life.” – Muhammad Ali
“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.” – Muhammad Ali
“My only fault is that I don’t realize how great I really am.” – Muhammad Ali
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Muhammad Ali Big Fights
Although Muhammad Ali fought many times in his first career phase, Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston were the two most notable early fights.
The Liston fight needed to take place. Sonny Liston was, at that time, the reigning heavyweight champion. He was a man’s giant and dwarfed Muhammad in power and size. He took advantage of the time leading up to the fight to make several memorable soundbites. After beating Liston, he told reporters that he would “donate Liston to the zoo” after beating Liston. Many experts believed that his bravado was an attempt to hide fear, despite his outward confidence. Commentators speculated that he might not be there.
On February 24, 1964, the future champion won an impressive upset by a sixth-round knockout. He would then defend his title against Floyd Patterson, an ex-heavyweight champion. Although Muhammad won the fight, some believe Patterson set it up to benefit him and make money for tax issues.
Late-Career Of Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali
Exile
The situation was not easy for the heavyweight champion. He was drafted into military service in 1967 but refused to join because he opposed the Vietnam war. He was convicted and tried to avoid the draft. He lost his boxing license and all his titles.
He became a vocal critic of war for three years. Muhammad Ali’s most famous quote is, “Why should they ask to be put on a uniform and travel 10,000 miles to drop bombs on brown people in Vietnam, while so-called negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?”
Return to boxing
Muhammad Ali was back in prizefighting by 1970. He fought Jerry Quarry for a three-round bout.
Although the victory was small compared to his record, it made Joe Frazier, the former champion, eligible to fight him.
The “fight of the century” was when the two giants of the sport squared off in Madison Square Gardens on March 8, 1971. Pre-match taunts resulted in many Muhammad Ali quotes. Ali would often say that Frazier was “too ugly” to be champion. He said that the Ku Klux Klan only supported Frazier.
The fight lasted eleven rounds and was well received by the crowd. He and Frazier had many close encounters, but Frazier was eventually declared the victor by unanimous decision.
He would win. Muhammad Ali would win each of the two heavyweight matches.
FAQs About Muhammad Ali Quotes
What was Muhammad Ali’s most famous quote?
“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.”
This is perhaps Muhammad Ali’s most famous quote. He said it during a time when he was still young and relatively unknown. At the time, Ali was not yet the world champion boxer that he would later become. In fact, he was still an amateur. Nevertheless, he was already confident in his own abilities and believed that he would one day be the greatest boxer in the world.
What were Muhammad Ali’s last words?
According to reports, Muhammad Ali’s last words were, “I’m in a beautiful place”. These words were reportedly spoken to his family members, who were by his side when he passed away. Ali was a legendary boxer and an icon in the sports world. He will be missed by many.
What did Muhammad Ali say all the time?
There are several things that Muhammad Ali said all the time. One was that he was “the greatest.” He also said that he was “the prettiest” and that he was “the best.”
What did Muhammad Ali say before a fight?
Before a fight, Muhammad Ali would often say, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” He used this phrase to describe his boxing style, which was based on speed and agility.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed reading through these quotes from Muhammad Ali. If you’re still feeling down, remember that it’s always okay to ask for help. There are plenty of people who care about you and want to see you succeed.
