Clay is so young and has been misled by the wrong people. He might as well have joined the Ku Klux Klan.

There is so much hate among people, so much contempt inside people who'd like you to think they're moral, that they have to hire prizefighters to do their hating for them. And we do. We get into a ring and act out other people's hates.

The fighter loses more than his pride in the fight; he loses part of his future. He's a step closer to the slum he came from.

A prizefighter who gets knocked out or is badly outclassed suffers in a way he will never forget.

I've learned so much, so very much about myself in defeat. I've learned very little to nothing in victory.

For if you train hard and responsibly your confidence surges to a maximum

When you have millions of dollars, you have millions of friends.