Since Friday, it's been trending. The great Muhammad Ali is no more. He's being celebrated as a great sportsman who made his mark on not just the boxing ring, but the entire world. Here was a man who I barely knew. Yes, I knew the name 'Muhammad Ali', I knew the famous 'Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee', and I even saw movies (and cartoons) that were produced based on his story. But for most of the years when Ali was in action, I wasn't even born. And yet, here I am, gleaning life lessons from him.
1. Your mouth was meant for much more than eating.
"I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was" - Muhammad Ali
No doubt, Ali was a man of words. Asides boxing, he was also known as a great orator with many quotes attributed to him. With his own mouth, he clearly defined his destiny. He didn't wait to see the titles and accolades before saying he was the greatest. Even the Bible says "The word is nigh thy mouth. Speak it". Call it bragging, or say he overdid it, but the man did what so many of us never feel bold enough to do. He took charge of his own destiny and started with what he had: His voice.
2. You can't just Talk the Talk
"It's not bragging if you can back it up"- Muhammad Ali
Here comes the big part! Yes, Ali laid a fine foundation with his affirmations and his confident words. But he cemented his 'Great sportsman' status by walking the walk, and it was obviously not a walk in the park. You're going to have to work hard for your dreams 'cos ain't nothing falling into your lap! Ali said,
"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion'"
Yup! There's no free lunch, not even in Freetown.
3. Remember Every Second Counts
"Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right"- Muhammad Ali
Imagine if Ali had not achieved all he had before parkinson's disease struck. Just imagine...
4. Take a stand... or live life bowed
"I shook up the world. Me! Whee!"- Muhammad Ali
What's that thing they say? "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything"? We know he wasn't born 'Muhammad Ali', right? But when Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. converted to Islam in 1964, it was much more than a change of name. Ali stuck to his new found faith and beliefs, even when it meant him getting arrested & losing his boxing titles because he refused to fight in the Vietnam war. Say whatever you must about this man, but you have to salute his integrity. He was a man who accepted himself, and so the world had no choice but to accept him for who he was.
Love him or hate him, Call him cocky or phenomenal, Muhammad Ali was- still is- a world icon!
Some of Ali's quotes:
1. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see. Now you see me, now you don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't.
2. Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
3. I'm young; I'm handsome; I'm fast. I cant possibly be beat.
4. Don't count the days; make the days count.
5. It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.
6. It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe.
7. Braggin' is when a person says something and can't do it. I do what I say.
8. I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.
9.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.
10. I'm so mean, I make medicine sick.
11. i should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll ever get licked.
12. Impossible is just a big 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 not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.
13. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
14. A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.
15. If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.
16. I'm the most recognized and loved man that ever lived cuz there weren't no satellites when Jesus and Moses were around, so people far away in the villages didn't know about them.
17. It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.
18. I'm not the greatest. I'm the double greatest.
19. At home I am a nice guy: but I don't want the world to know. Humble people I've found, don't get very far.
20. He's {Sonny Liston} too ugly to be the world champ. The world champ should be pretty like me!
21. I've wrestled with alligators. i've tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And throw thunder in jail.
22. A man who has no imagination has no wings.
23. I'm the astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Dempsey were just jet pilots. I'm in a world of my own.
24. If you even dream of beating me, you'd better wake up and apologize.
25. Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.
26. I've made my share of mistakes along the way, but if I have changed even one life for the better, I haven't lived in vain.
Images: Google
Well done -Lady Mary Scott!
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