I did not take the name, I just named myself Cassius Clay, this is a honorable, Mohammed Ali, given to me by my religious leader and teacher, the Honorable Elijah Mohammed, and I would like to say that Mohammed means in Arabic "one who is worthy of praise" and one praiseworthy, and Ali means the most High, but the slave name Clay meant dirt with no ingredients.
Muhammad AliWe're not trying to take power away or rule anybody - we're just trying to get up from under the rulers.
Muhammad AliWho would thought only of themselves and kill their race? You would hate other people if you don't want to stay who you are.
Muhammad AliI need to get everything straight. I'm not involved in a power struggle between black and white.
Muhammad AliWars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change.
Muhammad AliWe all have the same God, we just serve him differently. Rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, oceans all have different names, but they all contain water. So do religions have different names, and they all contain truth, expressed in different ways forms and times. It doesn't matter whether you're a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew. When you believe in God, you should believe that all people are part of one family. If you love God, you can't love only some of his children.
Muhammad Ali