Truly great people in history never wanted to be great for themselves. All they wanted was the chance to do good for others and be close to God.

How could they say that my religion, Islam was a 'race hate' religion after all the plunder and enslavement and domination of my people by white Christians in the name of white supremacy?

Lighting that torch in Atlanta didn't make me nervous. Standing up to the government - that made me nervous.

Even today, if my title hadn't been given back to me and I was in such poverty where I had to go and find a job, I would have done that.

I want to be the first black man on the moon

The word had spread and people were piling around us. But then very suddenly, Sonny Liston froze me with that look of his. He said real quiet, 'Let's go on over here.' And he led the way to a table and the people hung back. I ain't going to lie. This was the only time since I have known Sonny Liston that he really scared me.

When a man says I cannot, he has made a suggestion to himself. He has weakened his power of accomplishing that which otherwise would have been accomplished.