Muhammad Ali died at age 74 on June 3rd, 2016. The world lost the greatest boxer in the history of the sport, as well as a man who had a lot of confidence and a lot of great quotes.
Ali ended his career 56-5, with huge wins over names like Sonny Linston, Joe Frazier, and many others.
After a battle with Parkinson’s disease, he has now passed on, but his words will live on, so here are some of his greatest quotes:
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
This is by far Ali's most famous quote that many people will always remember. It tells us that when we are in battle we must be quick and agile while also leaving a solid mark. Obviously, he was talking about boxing, but it’s still a memorable quote.
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
Ali tells us here that in life, if we are not courageous and if we do not take risks, then we aren’t going to accomplish anything or get anywhere. Without taking chances, we won’t go far.
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.”
Without creativity, our lives would be boring, our minds wouldn’t be able to stretch out in the ways that they were intended to, and Muhammad had creativity for sure all throughout his life.
“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
I love this quote because it is OK to look at something in the world and change your mind. Obviously, there are things that I myself won’t change, like for example my faith in God and in Christ, but it is OK to change our minds, because not changing can be dangerous.
“Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer.”
It’s good to just shut up and let others talk. I also feel like this quote tells me that it is OK to sit and think about your answer and think about what you really want to say, because if your answer isn’t authentic, that’s a problem.
These five quotes are to me the most memorable words that Ali ever spoke in his life. He wasn’t just a great boxer, he was a great fighter against everything that he ever had to fight against. Whether it was civil rights, Parkinson’s, or in the ring, Muhammad Ali fought, and he was good at it.
This world will be different without him. It's crazy to think he is gone.
RIP Muhammad Ali. Thanks for teaching us to keep on fighting.