Muhammad Ali, the greatest fighter to ever live, passed away at the age of 74 this past weekend. Ali, whose birth name is Cassius Clay, was a civil rights activist, a three-time heavyweight champion, and one of the greatest athletes ever. He provided the world with many powerful quotes and I believe everyone can learn lessons from the quotes. Here are 7 of Muhammad Ali’s best quotes.
1. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”
If you work your ass off to achieve a goal, you will be able to say for the rest of your life that you did it! You reached that goal! The journey to the goal may have taken a lot out of you and you may have wanted to quit, but you didn’t and that is something you can always remember and hold dear.
2. “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
Have the courage to take risks you may not normally take. Ask that girl out, try out for your school sports team, take a risk, because in the end, if you don’t, what have you accomplished?
3. “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
If you are 50 years old and find yourself still acting 20, what have you done with the 30 years you were given on this earth to grow, learn, and mature into a wiser person?
4. “Don’t count the days, make the days count.”
This is one of my personal favorites. Don’t just lay around on the couch doing nothing all day. Go out and do something outside, make a memory, do something stupid, make the most of the days you have. Life is so precious that it can be taken from anyone at any moment. Make sure you make the most of life’s moments.
5. “Friendship… is not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”
If you can understand what friendship is, you have more knowledge than you can imagine. Friendship is tremendously important, as it can shape you as a person. Being able to have good friends who treat you right should be everyone’s ultimate goal.
6. “My principles are more important than money or my title”
Ali stood up for what he felt was right. He was a civil rights advocate who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. He was even convicted of being a draft dodger during the Vietnam War. He felt the war was unnecessary and wasn’t afraid to say so either, as it was what he believed in. Society tends to silence people with differing views from the norm, but Ali refused to let himself be silenced.
7. “Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.”
Again, as an activist for equal rights as well as civil rights, Ali was very outspoken when it came to these matters. When he did speak on the issues, he had a way with words. This is a lesson I think people STILL need to learn and understand.
Muhammad Ali was one of the most quotable athletes of all time. Many of them applied to how great he was in the ring and many spoke to how great he was out of it. Regardless, Ali was undeniably one of the greatest athletes of all-time, and his quotes will live on forever. Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee up in the clouds. Rest in peace Muhammad Ali.
