No black man wants a blue-eyed black child, and no white man wants a kinky-haired white child. Nature didn't mean it to be that way.

I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong.

Life is a gamble. You can get hurt, but people die in plane crashes, lose their arms and legs in car accidents; people die every day. Same with fighters: some die, some get hurt, some go on. You just don't let yourself believe it will happen to you.

Champions have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.

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.

A lot of boxers' features change - mainly when I fight 'em

I have the world heavyweight title not because it was 'given' to me, not because of my race or religion, but because I won it in the ring through my own boxing ability.