He found himself, he knew who he is and where wants to go and he believed in himself.
His words carried more weight after fame than those first early days where nobody known him, when you say such words everyone will mock you, laugh at you and will not take you seriously, but when you shine at the stage and earn your name a particular weight, everyone even those who mocked will bow down to your reputation.
R.I.P legend ♥
This was actually a death that I cared about.
I'm a firm believer in saying something and making it happen. He felt he had something and he worked hard to stand behind his words. A self fulfilling prophecy. Nothing wrong with that. Many great people had self fulfilling prophecies.
He believed in himself and then he worked very hard to achieve his goals. It wasn't a hollow statement, it was one that was backed with hours of commitment.
He believed it himself and in himself and went on to prove exactly that. He was the Greatest of all time and is immortal !
The arrogance of excellence---that sensing of the potential greatness inside of each of us.
Or maybe it's not much different than picking the winning powerball numbers.
At any rate, his civil disobedience with the draft issue was a little troubling to me.
Definitely a significant figure in many areas for sure, however.
Dear Jan Nicka,
I really, really liked Muhammad Ali...not a boxing fan, but watching his fights was among the special times I spent with my father, as a girl. Dad saw him as the talented underdog, and really liked him.
Then in 1967 I met him! Ali came to San Francisco and I went to the Black Muslim temple to hear him speak - he waved me and my girlfriend up to the front to say hello and shake hands. Growing up in tiny Montesano, WA I had no sense then that people could actually hurt each other, and I just went wherever I chose.
* * *
As for your Q, I like the quote very much. When the Dalai lama came to the USA, he said he had never seen people with such low self-esteem as we have here...I wish everybody could really believe they are great, because we all are each in our own way.
And then Ali proceeded to walk his talk. Over my (long and longer) life I have made choices to sacrifice for moral/ethical principles, and Ali was true to his principles, to the best of his ability...giving up his finest boxing years for that draft penalty.
Like Matt Radiance I say R.I.P. Legend, with love.
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