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

“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.”

“Go to College, Stay in school, If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.”

“I Ain't Got No Quarrel With The VietCong...No VietCong Ever Called Me Nigger.”

“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”

“Often it isn't the mountains ahead that wear you out, it's the little pebble in your shoe.”

“I never thought of losing, but now that it's happened, the only thing is to do it right. That's my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life. ”