Being a champion opens lots of doors—I'd like to get a real estate license, maybe sell insurance.
Mike TysonI'm scared every time I go into the ring, but it's how you handle it. What you have to do is plant your feet, bite down on your mouthpiece and say, 'Let's go.'
Mike TysonI felt Holyfield was using his head illegally. I told the referee I wasn't getting any help, so I went back to the streets. I cannot defend it, but it happened.
Mike TysonIt's the emotional punches that you can't see that are just overwhelmingly devastating to your heart - your moral fiber.
Mike TysonIf you can't remember the small things, how are you going to remember the big things? The mind is a real dangerous neighborhood to travel by ourselves.
Mike TysonWhen I was in prison, I was wrapped up in all those deep books. That Tolstoy crap - people shouldn't read that stuff.
Mike TysonLennox Lewis, I'm coming for you man. My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!
Mike TysonFighting is spiritual. It appears to be physical from the layman's eyes. In my fights, I seemed to be angry and mad - all that stuff you saw me doing, the yelling and screaming and being mean in the ring - but I'm cool as a cucumber. I can hear everybody talking around me outside of the ring. I can see everybody. I know what is going on.
Mike TysonAnyone with a grain of sense would know that if I punched my wife I would rip her head off. It's all lies. I have never laid a finger on her.
Mike TysonEverybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze.
Mike TysonI hope I can improve. I'm far from perfect. Sometimes, I wonder what would happen if I fought myself. I think it would be a one-round KO. But if I was fighting myself, I know I could take my best punch. No, make that two rounds. I would knock myself out in two rounds.
Mike TysonI feel bad about my outlook, how I feel about people and society, and that I'll never be part of society the way I should.
Mike TysonMy objective was to hurt the other fighters. I wanted to hurt them. I wanted to be merciless. Man, I was a wild thing. It's kind of a drug, a rush.
Mike TysonSometimes they laugh at things I don't think are funny, but I believe if they're laughing at me, it's a good show.
Mike TysonWhatever you want, especially when you’re striving to be the best in the world at something, there’ll always be disappointments, and you can’t be emotionally tied to them, cos’ they’ll break your spirit.
Mike TysonI try my best to learn from other people's mistakes. I have a lot of respect for people who can change.
Mike TysonThere are nine million people who see me in the ring and hate my guts. Most of them are white. That's okay. Just spell my name right.
Mike TysonI'm the best fighter in the world. No one can beat me....My objective is to inflict as much pain as possible, to win and win spectacularly...Ever since I was 12 years old, I was groomed to be the heavyweight champion of the world. I've been prepared to handle the pressure, the dealing with the press, everything.
Mike TysonI don't want to be grotesque, but when you're 330 pounds, it's hard to wipe your a-. You know?
Mike TysonI was blessed with speed and a good punch. Everybody thinks I'm the hardest puncher ever. But I just think I was really fast, and my punches got to the target faster. That's what made my knockouts always seem spectacular.
Mike TysonI don't want anyone to have to interview me. I wish I didn't have to talk too much about myself.
Mike TysonThe only thing I do is just pray for inspiration, for a way of thinking, because I don't have any particular goal in sight.
Mike TysonI didn't know how to be any other way. I felt like one of those barbarian kings just coming to conquer the Roman Empire.
Mike TysonWe wanna believe that we're different than the average guy that's working 9-to-5, that our thoughts are different than his. Our inspirations and desires are different than his, that's why we succeed and he didn't cos we wanna believe we're different, but he just didn't get the break that we had...or he wasted it on something else.
Mike TysonEvery time there's a revolution, it comes from somebody reading a book about revolution. David Walker wrote a book and Nat Turner did his thing.
Mike TysonI ain't never loan friends money; I give it to 'em and I don't expect to get it back. Even when he says, "I'll pay you back," I never expect it. If he gives it back, then hey, that's a feather in his cap, but I don't expect to get it back.
Mike Tyson