A biography for George Foremanhasn’t been written yet.
“The greatest asset, even in this country, is not oil and gas. It's integrity. Everyone is searching for it, asking, 'Who can I do business with that I can trust?'”
“Evil lurks where disappointment lodges.”
“I named all my sons George Edward Foreman. And I tell people, 'If you're going to get hit as many times as I've been hit by Mohammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Evander Holyfield - you're not going to remember many names.'”
“My mother was watching on television and she doesn't want me to hurt anyone.”
“People are hurt in love affairs and never recover, more than a boxing match.”
“Frazier was not a big man at all. Frazier was about 5'9, but he would make anyone run. Put up your dukes and cover up because he's coming. He never backed up from anyone.”
“I was a tiger, a good fighter, in good shape, but I was always nervous before boxing matches.”
“Put your name on something, it better be the best... you only get one shot.”
“I love the pigeons. I just raise them, period, and feed them. Pigeons go away, and they always come back. You get a touch of freedom, and then they are free to come back to you. I love the idea of pigeons.”
“I wanted to be champ of the world, but I kept hoping something would happen to Frazier. I didn't want to fight him. Nobody wanted to fight Joe Frazier.”
“I remember in school once the teacher gave us a speech about anyone can make it if they try, and then she looked at me and said. 'I don't know what you are going to do, Georgie.'”
“All my sons are named George Foreman. They all know where they came from.”
“That's my gift. I let that negativity roll off me like water off a duck's back. If it's not positive, I didn't hear it. If you can overcome that, fights are easy.”
“I teach kids that want to be tough that their fists are not the way.”
“I don't even think about a retirement program because I'm working for the Lord, for the Almighty. And even thought the Lord's pay isn't very high, his retirement program is, you might say, out of this world.”
“As you get better and better working out, there's no one who can keep up with you running. If you don't have a good dog, it's going to be the most lonesome training camp you'll ever have.”
“I tell my sons all the time, 'The most important thing in your life is fitness,' but a lot of fighters go overboard.”
“I get up in the morning looking for an adventure.”
“I'd have to say losing the title to Ali in '74 was the lowest moment in sports for me. It was the most devastating thing in my boxing career, and it still hurts to this day.”
“When you're in a single-parent home, they try to give you a good foundation, but by the time you're 4 or 5 years old, from that point on you're pretty much on your own.”