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.

There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people.

There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people.

Pleasure is not happiness. It has no more importance than a shadow following a man.

Pleasure is not happiness. It has no more importance than a shadow following a man.

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.

Let the other guy have whatever he wants before the fight. Once the bell rings he's gonna be disappointed anyway. read more

Let the other guy have whatever he wants before the fight. Once the bell rings he's gonna be disappointed anyway. Rrelating boxing advice he received from Archie Moore on posturing before a fight.

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.

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.

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'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].