Its very important that people know that I really enjoy everything that has happened to me. And I tell my kids... youre not going to be the tallest, fastest, prettiest, the best track runner, but you can be the nicest human being that someone has ever met in their life. And I just want to leave that legacy that being nice is a true treasure.

When I was a kid in Houston, we were so poor we couldn't afford the last 2 letters, so we called ourselves po'.

You have to keep your goal in mind and never lose sight of it. I envisioned myself winning the heavyweight title for ten years before I actually captured it. If you're not driven to do your best, you'll never reach the level of excellence in your life.

As long as I'm reading, I'm at home.

Everything America should be, Muhammad Ali is.

Before a fight between Riddick Bowe and Hector Gonzales: Generally when there's a lot of smoke . . . there's just a whole lot more smoke.

Changing your nature is the hardest thing to do. But I discovered that you can be who you choose to be.