I am the king of the world. I'm a man's man.

I wanted to keep these trunks as a souvenir." "Now look at them." "They were splattered with blood.

I'm so fast I could hit you before God gets the news.

I came back to Louisville after the Olympics with my shiny gold medal. Went into a luncheonette where black folks couldn't eat. Thought I'd put them on the spot. I sat down and asked for a meal. The Olympic champion wearing his gold medal. They said, "We don't serve niggers here." I said, "That's okay, I don't eat 'em." But they put me out in the street. So I went down to the river, the Ohio River, and threw my gold medal in it.

Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down. It's staying down that's wrong.

I don't count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting. That is when I start counting, because then it really counts. That's what makes you a champion.

All of us are so mixed. My great-grandfather was white.