Jim Brown

“If I couldn't have discipline, if I sit up eatin' fried chicken in bed at night, I'd just as soon be dead. I take care of myself.”

“AI don't make a big thing out of my race. If you try to preach, people give you a little sympathy and then they want to get out of the way. So you don't preach; you tell the story.”

“The story of Jackie Robinson is also the story of Branch Rickey. He had many reasons for doing what he did, but he stood up against his own people.”

“I would never try to motivate anyone to follow me. I would motivate him to follow certain principles.”

“The Jewish culture has a wonderful thing about education. It has a great thing about family; it has a great thing about unity, hard work, dedication. I would like to say the African-American community should emulate that.”

“America is a great country. It has a lot of work to do. The bottom line is it's easy to talk; it's easy to have the media pick up on something, and it's hard to have the patience to put something in place you can build on that will make sure each citizen has their equal rights.”

“When you think of the sacrifices our firefighters make, think about the service of soldiers in foreign lands and listen to their lives, you have to be careful that whatever you do, don't cast a shadow on what these great people do.”

“The need to be cared for is the base of everything. In the penitentiaries, you won't hear gangbangers and criminals say, 'No, I don't want to be cared for by nobody.' When you care about them, they'll open up to you.”

“Capitalistic society teaches kids to be No. 1, but true self-esteem doesn't come from money. It doesn't come from winning the Super Bowl.”

“When I come out of the box, I don't come out of the box as racial.”

“God ain't got nothing to do with winning a damn football game.”

“Ultimately, if you look at the game and there are two minutes left, and you have to ensure your victory, you don't want to throw the damn football. You want a runner who can run the clock out.”

“In a perfect world, I don't think any man should slap anyone.”

“Education, family, character, intelligence, humility, okay? These are the things that make a culture live.”

“If you truly believe something, and it's incorrect, that doesn't mean you don't have integrity.”

“Young men in my day really stepped up... These were champions for freedom, equality, and justice for all human beings, and they were educated individuals that used their education and knowledge to represent their case.”

“Michael Jordan brings millions of dollars when he shows up in an arena. Since money is how we judge people, he's very valuable. But while that's happening, Rome is burning within the black community.”

“I played basketball, and I loved it. But I never thought of it seriously as being a professional.”

“I'm a very sensitive person. I do like to be respected. I'm very loyal. I like it to be a two-way street.”

“I'm not pro-owner or pro-player. I am pro-football. I want the game to go on. I want the game to be tough. I don't want the game to be a killer of our players.”