A biography for Muhammad Alihasn’t been written yet.
“The white man is destroying the world.”
“I had a good time boxing. I enjoyed it - and I may come back.”
“My trainer don't tell me nothing between rounds. I don't allow him to. I fight the fight. All I want to know is did I win the round. It's too late for advice.”
“When you can whip any man in the world, you never know peace.”
“If I said I would knock out Sonny Liston in 1 minute and 49 seconds of the first round, that would hurt the gate.”
“Don't feel sorry for me.”
“If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough.”
“Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.”
“I said I was 'The Greatest,' I never said I was the smartest!”
“It's hard to be humble, when you're as great as I am.”
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.”
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
“You can't keep your mind on fighting when you're thinking about a woman. You can't keep your concentration. You feel like sleeping all the time.”
“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.”
“The Nation of Islam's main focus was teaching black pride and self-awareness. Why should we keep trying to force ourselves into white restaurants and schools when white people didn't want us? Why not clean up our own neighborhoods and schools instead of trying to move out of them and into white people's neighborhoods?”
“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.”
“I'm just hoping that people understand that Islam is peace and not violence.”
“All of us are so mixed. My great-grandfather was white.”
“My wealth is in my knowledge of self, love, and spirituality.”
“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.”