Trego's Mountain Ear

I began watching Mohammed Ali when he boxed as Cassius Clay in the Olympics. Part of it was probably the time, another part was watching how different physical gifts lead to different lives – sizewise, I could have dressed out of Ali’s closet, but could never have accomplished what he did. I still recall with bitter feelings when he was stripped of the Heavyweight title because of his stance on the Viet Nam war and the draft.

Let’s look at some of the things he said in his life and career.

If you look at the world the same way when you’re 50 that you did when you were 20, then you wasted 30 years.

I calculate that I took 20,000 punches, but I earned millions and kept a lot of it. I may talk slow, but my mind is OK.

I can’t believe some of the things I did.Can’t believe it. Sayin’ I was the greatest and the beautifulist and I was gonna whup this guy and that guy, sayin’ I’m pretty, I can’t be beat.

We all have the same God, we just serve him differently. Rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, oceans all have different names, but they all contain water. So do religions have different names, and they all contain truth, expressed in different ways forms and times. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew. When you believe in God, you should believe that all people are part of one family. If you love God, you can’t love only some of his children.

When you’re right, nobody remembers. When you’re wrong, nobody forgets.

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

To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are.

And the saddest quote – going back to my high school days: I came back to Louisville after the Olympics with my shiny gold medal. Went into a luncheonette where black folks couldn’t eat. Thought I’d put them on the spot. I sat down and asked for a meal. The Olympic champion wearing his gold medal. They said, “We don’t serve niggers here.” I said, “That’s okay, I don’t eat ’em.” But they put me out in the street. So I went down to the river, the Ohio River, and threw my gold medal in it.