Quotes by Muhammad Ali

"I'm just hoping that people understand that Islam is peace and not violence."

"Terrorists are not following Islam. Killing people and blowing up people and dropping bombs in places and all this is not the way to spread the word of Islam. So people realize now that all Muslims are not terrorists."

"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."

"It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."

"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."

"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe."

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."

"If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize."

"My only fault is that I don't realize how great I really am."

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

"The name Muhammad is the most common name in the world. In all the countries around the world - Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon - there are more Muhammads than anything else. When I joined the Nation of Islam and became a Muslim, they gave me the most famous name because I was the champ."

"The word 'Islam' means 'peace.' The word 'Muslim' means 'one who surrenders to God.' But the press makes us seem like haters."

"I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick."

"My way of joking is to tell the truth. That's the funniest joke in the world."

"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up."

"Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams - they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do - they all contain truths."

"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."

"When you can whip any man in the world, you never know peace."

"I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace."

"I know where I'm going and I know the truth, and I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want."