The first time I really watched Muhammad Ali was on YouTube. Well, that was what I had. I had heard his name long before, of course. I had also known quotes while completely missing the person. People called him the greatest of all time, but I assumed they were talking only about boxing.
I like martial arts so I watched his fights, interviews and press conferences. I was really surprised. I got to see how smart he was, how disciplined, how well-spoken and unbelievably witty. He has unbelievable charisma. That's soemthing I should learn.
His refusal to serve in the Vietnam War changed how I saw him most. Ali was convicted of draft evasion, stripped of his heavyweight title and boxing licences, and kept away from boxing during some of the best years of his career. Much of the media and the public treated him as a villain for it. This was not courage after history had made the position safe.
You rarely see people to take such stance. They wait until they know where the applause will come from. Ali did not know that people would eventually respect him for it. He was not carefully building a reputation for later. At that moment, his decision cost him almost everything, and he still refused to move. That's very brave.
Muhammad Ali standing over a fallen Sonny Liston
Here are a few quotes I like from Ali:
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
It's not bragging if you can back it up.
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
Don't count the days, make the days count.
The man who has no imagination has no wings.
I don't count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they're the only ones that count.
The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.
If you even dream of beating me, you better wake up and apologize.
What I like about these is the confidence never floats free of the work. "It's not bragging if you can back it up" is the whole ethic in one line: the mouth writes a check the training has to cash. Even the sit-ups quote is really about that. Nobody counts the easy reps. The ones that count are the ones you want to stop on. That is the part I keep coming back to, more than the butterfly and the bee.
I don’t often call famous people role models, but Ali is one. He is obviousl not perfect but he standed his ground even when his beliefs became expensive, he did not exchange them for an easier life. That builds a strong character and a strong character is somewthign we should all strive for.
I realise now that Ali would probably have done well in almost any job. Boxing gave him the fame, but boxing did not create what was great about him.