Muhammad Ali's Greatest Quotes About Bravery

This legend shook the world in more ways than one. Not only was Muhammad Ali a force to be reckoned with inside the ring, he was a civil rights activist and brave man in his daily life, as well. These seven Muhammad Ali quotes about bravery prove that “brave” is not something you inherently are, but rather it’s a quality that you grow to possess through hard work, determination, and the courage to never back down from a challenge.

Since Ali’s death at the age of 74, the world has been remembering all of the times he himself was brave. He showed us what a fearless fighter he was and how he could “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” against an opponent. Whether that opponent was another heavyweight contender or the war against racism. Ali never backed down from a challenge, and that, I think, is what people will remember most about him.

Many of these quotes about fearlessness are applicable, no matter the situation. Because when Ali spoke, he spoke for a nation fighting against its oppressors. His words embody not just the feeling of one man, but the feeling of many. And I think you’ll find that when it comes to being brave, he knew what he was talking about.

1."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."

There's nothing you can't accomplish if you set your mind to it, and Ali knew that. For him, nothing was impossible.

2. "I have nothing to lose by standing up for my beliefs. So I’ll go to jail. We’ve been in hail for four hundred years.”

When Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam War, he showed another type of bravery, one that comes from standing up for what you believe in.

3. "I am the greatest, I said it before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest."

Sometimes, it takes bravery to believe in yourself before anyone else does. Ali believed he was the greatest, and so he was.

4. "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."

How are you going to meet your goals if you're not willing to take risks? Ali knew he had to be a risk-taker to be great.

5. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”

If you have the courage to put in the hard work, you'll forever reap the benefits.

6. "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."

Sometimes it's the fear of feeling defeat for a second time around that can spark courage.

7. "Don’t count the days; make the days count."

The brave don't sit around and wait, they take action and make every day count.

It takes bravery, hard work, and dedication to be the best, and Ali definitely knew a thing or two about greatness.

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