A biography for Sonny Bill Williamshasn’t been written yet.
“I am my own man now; I can think for myself, whereas when I was 20, 21, I always wanted to please others.”
“To be an Olympian - not many people can say that. But first of all, I've got to make the team, and I know a lot of hard work is going to go into it, so hopefully it pays off.”
“I don't need a pool room with medals and everything hanging up.”
“I think the reason I hadn't fought was just the aftermath of the Botha fight. You put so much into a fight, and people just talk about it like it was a bit of a farce or something.”
“To be part of something special, to be an Olympian and have the chance to win a medal - it's an amazing feeling.”
“My mindset at this stage, especially after having a daughter... it's just changed my whole outlook.”
“I just don't want to fail, to be honest.”
“If a lawyer, if a teacher, if a bus driver, if they're on $40,000 and they get offered a lot more to go somewhere else, what do you think they're going to do?”
“It's been a long while, but, thank God, now I've been able to get my mum a house.”
“For myself, it's trying to do my best in whatever I am doing. At this time, it is boxing; then when I get home, I want to be the best father, the best husband, the best man I can be.”
“The biggest thing for me is earning the respect of my fellow players and coaches. I think that is why I was a little bit emotional. You don't get a haka done to you from the brothers for no reason if they don't respect you.”
“I would say I have become a lot smarter in the way I understand things.”
“In rugby union, I was out wide kicking stones with the pretty boys.”
“I've definitely got to look after myself first and foremost.”
“I don't want to let my family down; I don't want to let myself down. That's probably the biggest thing I fear.”
“I wouldn't say I am a businessman.”
“How can I tell my daughter when she grows up to aspire to be what she wants to be if I am too scared to hop back in the ring because of what some people have said about me?”
“I've become a true Muslim. It's giving me happiness. It's made me become content as a man and helped me to grow. I've just got faith in it, and it has definitely helped me become the man I am today.”
“I've got to do everything extra to put myself in the best shape to get in the World Cup squad.”
“You can't have eyes on the wall, or the angels won't come in. That's what we believe.”