Universally recognised as one of the most iconic athletes of all time, Muhammad Ali dominated the sport of boxing, both in the ring and in the headlines, throughout his illustrious career.
Ali was a magnificent boxer, but he is also renowned for some of the clever quotes that he used.
Lines like, “I am the greatest,” and “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” are among some of the better known statements of his, but he also had some more profound comments that I find both inspirational and thought-provoking.
Here are some of my favourites quotes from Muhammad Ali:
I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t Quit now and live the rest of your life as a champion.
Sometimes, it can be hard to do the things that are going to pay off in the long-term. This quote reminds us that it’s worth pushing through the pain and inconvenience if we want to be a success in the future.
I am the Greatest, I said that before I was.
Ali’s self belief was legendary, but we need to have a similar level of confidence if we want to make the most of our abilities. What do you want to be and what are you going to start saying to yourself now to bring it to reality?
The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.
I absolutely love this quote and am determined to make sure that this doesn’t happen to me. Keep reading great books, keep having interesting conversations with intelligent people who don’t always agree with you, keep watching TED talks. Whatever it is that you do, keep learning and keep expanding your mind. Life’s too short to be a hamster on a wheel.
If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, then they can sure make something out of you.
Be encouraged by this statement. Whatever your situation is, even if you’ve lost all hope, remember that you haven’t peaked yet, there’s still time to make an impact and you can still achieve great things with your life.
I hope that you found these quotes helpful.
Do you have any other favourite Muhammad Ali quotes that you would like to share?
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11 comments
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February 9, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Lynne
I known Muhammad Ali as a boxer only. Just now that I discover that he has a lot of wonderful and very inspiring quotes. Thanks for sharing.
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February 9, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Darren Poke
Thanks Lynne
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February 10, 2012 at 1:59 am
Debbie
I like how you took the time to find out more about him, to listen to more than just the boasting. I especially like the last one! 🙂 Thank you, Coach D!
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February 10, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Darren Poke
Thanks Debbie, he certainly is a fascinating and inspirational man. There was so much more that I could have written about him, but I was conscious of room.
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February 10, 2012 at 4:19 am
granbee
I love that last quote the best. I am so glad you reminded me of it about the penicillin from moldy bread! The entire time I was reading your wonderful post here, I visualized Ali at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta going every so slowly, always looking up, up and and up those stairs to light the flame at the opening ceremonies. It was reported there was not a dry eye in that vast stadium–and probably not in a single face of any TV viewer! I was so pleased for Ali that his trainer lived to celebrate Ali’s 70th birthday with him.
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February 10, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Darren Poke
Thanks Rose, that certainly was a great moment in sport.
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February 10, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Jen Waller
Thanks for sharing Darren, you’ve selected some great ones! I hadn’t heard the last one before but it certainly made me smile 🙂
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February 10, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Darren Poke
Thanks Jen, I hadn’t come across the last one either until I had started researching for this post.
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August 8, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Dorothy
I remember crying a river when I watched his biopic Ali (2001). Despite his shortcomings, he’s become an inspiration to a lot of people especially to aspiring boxers. Thank you for this post, I loved the last quote.
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August 8, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Darren Poke
Thanks Dorothy
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July 22, 2020 at 4:43 pm
sheilamaeefe
Muhammad Ali is indeed a lot. His point of view towards his goals are astounding.
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