Words of Wisdom from Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali once said that “It’s not bragging if you can back it up”.

As the world reflects on the passing of a legend, and his 74 years on this planet, it is fair to say that Ali lived up to his claim “I am the Greatest”, not only with his achievements in the ring, but also in the way he stood up for what he believed in, how he fought back against racial discrimination and white power in the pursuit of freedom and equality, and also the unbridled spirit he showed in his longest fight of all, his battle against Parkinson’s disease. Ali never hid. His fists were always up, a true fighter!

The planet Earth is just a speck in the cosmos, a planet that is potentially 4.5 billion years old in a universe that is estimated to be 13.7 billion years old! As individuals, we are all just only passing through, but some more than others leave an unforgettable mark. Muhammad Ali is one of those people. There may not be life after death, but Ali will live on through everyone he has inspired. He will be forever remembered.

As everyone knows, Muhammad Ali was as quick with his words as he was with his feet. Reflecting on the many videos and montages of Ali over the weekend, below are some of my favourite quotes:

1. On taking risks

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

Of all the quotes I have read, the above stands out as one my favourites. In life, challenging yourself requires pushing beyond the comfort zone and taking risks. Life is for living new experiences, not just existing. The easy option is the safe one, the difficult option requires the resolve to explore the unknown.

2. Living in the present

“Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you’re going to be right.”

The idea of living life every day as if it were your last has become a bit cliché, but the meaning for me is to try as much as possible to live in the present moment, rather than being burdened by the past or being overwhelmed by the future. The past has happened and cannot be changed, the future can throw anything at you, but you have complete control of the present.  Make use of it.

3. Humility in defeat

After losing his first fight to Ken Norton, Muhammad Ali famously said:

“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”.

Losing is tough, but as with all adversity, how you handle it and respond shows your true character.

4. Believing in yourself

Writing for Newsweek on the famous Rumble in the Jungle, Ali wrote:

“Everyone said George was going to whup me. But the man who has no imagination stands on the earth, he has no wings, he will never fly.”

With the right mind-set life can remain an adventure. I hear too many people make excuses for why they can’t do the things they want to do in life. You make your own wings!

5. Constrained by our own limits

“Impossible is just a word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

As individuals, our reality is constrained by what we believe is possible. Unfortunately, we still live in a world that sets limits which many people cannot overcome. Those in power at a government level  – ‘elected by the people for the people’ – and at a corporate level must be pushed to make the world more equal for everyone.

6. Standing up to the establishment

This is a quote from Ali responding to criticism of his refusal to accept the Vietnam War draft (Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeFMyrWlZ68):

“I am not going to help nobody get something Negros don’t have. If I am going to die, I’ll die right here fighting you. You are my enemy, my enemy is the white people, not Vietcong, or Chinese, or Japanese. You are my opposer when I want freedom, you are my opposer when I want justice, you are my opposer when I want equality. You won’t even stand up for me in America, for my religious beliefs and you want me to go somewhere and fight, and you won’t even stand up for me.”

He brilliantly highlights the hypocrisy of white America, supposedly fighting for democracy abroad while subjugating their fellow man at home. While there have been some improvements since then, the same hypocrisy exits, fighting for democracy abroad while inequality widens at home.

7. A reminder of the world Ali fought in:

Shortly after winning the Olympic gold medal for the USA, Muhammad Ali was kicked out of a downtown restaurant in his local town because of the colour of his skin.

In a 1971 interview Ali shared the story with Michael Parkinson:

MA: I won the Olympic gold medal in Rome, Italy. Olympic champion. The Russian standing right here, and the Pole right here. Is Poland considered a Communist country?

MP: Yeah.

MA: I’m defeating America’s so-called threats and enemies. And the flag is going dun-dun-dun-dun. I’m standing so proud.

And I’d have whooped the world for America. I took my gold medal, thought I’d invented something.

I said, “Man, I know I’m going to get my people freedom. I’m the champion of the whole world. Olympic champion. I know I can eat downtown now.”

And I went downtown that day, had my big gold medal on, and went in a restaurant.

And at that time, things weren’t integrated. Black folks couldn’t eat downtown. And I went downtown, I sat down, and I said, ‘A cup of coffee, a hotdog.’

The lady said, ‘We don’t serve Negroes.’ I was so mad, I said, ‘I don’t eat them either, just give me a cup of coffee and a hamburger.’

You know, I said, ‘I’m the Olympic gold medal-winner. I won three days, I fought for this country in Rome, I won the gold medal, and I’m going to eat.’

And I heard her tell the manager, and he said, ‘Well, he’s got to go out.’ They put me out.

And I had to leave that restaurant in my hometown, where I went to church to serve in their Christianity, my Daddy fought in all the wars.

I just won the gold medal and I couldn’t eat downtown. I said, ‘Something’s wrong.’ And from then on, I’ve been a Muslim.

(This is the link to video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtxfTEyJZg4)

Above all, Muhammad Ali was a man of the people. ‘He shook up the world, he shook up the world.’