Mohamed Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
All through my life I have been tested. My will has been tested, my courage has been tested, my strength has been tested. Now my patience and endurance are being tested.
en
The Soul of a Butterfly, 2004
Muhammad Ali — nom couramment retranscrit en français Mohamed Ali ou Mohammed Ali — né le 17 janvier 1942 à Louisville, au Kentucky, et mort le 3 juin 2016 à Scottsdale, en Arizona, est un boxeur américain évoluant en catégorie poids lourds, considéré comme un des plus grands boxeurs de tous les temps,. Né sous le nom de Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., il le change en Mohamed Ali à l'âge de 22 ans après avoir rejoint Nation of Islam en 1965 au moment de sa conversion à l'islam.
Considéré comme une icône culturelle, Mohamed Ali a été à la fois adulé et vilipendé.
Il remporte à 18 ans la médaille d'or des poids mi-lourds aux Jeux olympiques de Rome 1960.
En 1967, trois ans après avoir remporté le championnat du monde des poids lourds face à Sonny Liston, il est critiqué pour son refus d'être enrôlé dans l'armée américaine par opposition à la guerre du Vietnam en disant : « Aucun Vietcong ne m'a jamais traité de nègre ». Mohamed Ali est arrêté et reconnu coupable de fraude. Il n'est pas emprisonné, mais dépossédé de son titre mondial et de sa licence de boxe. Il ne combat plus pendant près de quatre ans, jusqu'à ce que son appel soit finalement reçu par la Cour suprême américaine.
Surnommé The Greatest, Mohamed Ali devient le premier triple champion du monde poids lourds. Il a participé à plusieurs combats de boxe historiques. Parmi ceux-ci, trois disputés contre son rival Joe Frazier sont considérés parmi les plus grands combats dans l'histoire de la boxe, ainsi que son affrontement contre George Foreman à Kinshasa dont il sort vainqueur par K.O. au 8e round devant environ 100 000 spectateurs, le 30 octobre 1974. Mohamed Ali est connu pour son style de combat peu orthodoxe pour un poids lourds, incarné par son slogan « vole comme un papillon, pique comme une abeille » et employant des techniques telles que le « Shuffle Ali », le « rope-dope », ainsi que, en amont du combat, le « trash talking » . Grâce à ses compétences et sa personnalité hors du commun, Mohamed Ali est devenu un des athlètes les plus célèbres dans le monde entier. Élu à 6 reprises meilleur boxeur de l'année par Ring Magazine et intégré à l'International Boxing Hall of Fame, Ali est considéré comme l'un des plus grands boxeurs de l'histoire.
En 1999, il est couronné « Sportif du siècle » par Sports Illustrated et « Personnalité sportive du siècle » par la BBC,. Il est nommé sportif du XXe siècle par une assemblée de journalistes internationaux, précédant Pelé. Il reçoit, à Berlin en mars 2005, la médaille de la paix Otto Hahn,, au nom de l'Organisation des Nations unies « pour son engagement en faveur du mouvement américain contre la ségrégation et pour l'émancipation culturelle des Noirs à l'échelle mondiale ». Il est décoré en 2005 de la médaille présidentielle de la Liberté, la plus haute distinction civile aux États-Unis.
Au-delà de ses performances sportives, il atteint une notoriété inégalée chez un sportif par son goût du spectacle, sa personnalité provocatrice, ses prises de positions religieuses et politiques, puis son destin personnel. Il est atteint de la maladie de Parkinson à partir de 1984, qu'il expose devant le monde entier lorsqu'il allume la vasque olympique à Atlanta en 1996.
Il meurt le 3 juin 2016 à l'âge de 74 ans, à la suite de problèmes respiratoires. Wikipedia

Mohamed Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
All through my life I have been tested. My will has been tested, my courage has been tested, my strength has been tested. Now my patience and endurance are being tested.
en
The Soul of a Butterfly, 2004
Response to Harold Bell, question about his view on friendship in an Interview (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InSFYdFaS3E.
Muhammad Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
The Soul of a Butterfly, 2004
Variante: All through my life I have been tested. My will has been tested, my courage has been tested, my strength has been tested. Now my patience and endurance are being tested.
Source: The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey
“Allah is the Greatest. I'm just the greatest boxer.”
As quoted in "Interview with Muhammad Ali" at SoundVision.com http://soundvision.com/Info/ali/interview.asp
“We can't be brave without fear.”
Muhammad Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
Source: The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey
“The greatest victory in life is to rise above the material things that we once valued most.”
Muhammad Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
Source: The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey
Muhammad Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
"Still the Greatest", p. 109
The Soul of a Butterfly (2004)
Muhammad Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
Source: The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey
“My wealth is in my knowledge of self, love, and spirituality.”
Muhammad Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
Source: The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey
“I'm retiring because there are more pleasant things to do than beat up people.”
As quoted in Secrets of Power Persuasion for Salespeople (2003) by Roger Dawson , p. 192
Written by copywriter Aimee Lehto for a series of Adidas ads in which this was superimposed over stills of various figures, including Muhammad Ali. Documented by Quote Investigator https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/11/28/impossible-is/. <br class="br">Misattributed
Muhammad Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
Poem written after winning the gold medal in the 1960 Olympic Summer Games in Rome, Italy, p. 35
The Soul of a Butterfly (2004)
“This is the legend of Cassius Clay,
The most beautiful fighter in the world today.”
"I am the Greatest" (1964) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZU_AvPPIQY <br class="br">Contexte: This is the legend of Cassius Clay,<br>The most beautiful fighter in the world today.<br>He talks a great deal, and brags indeed-y,<br>Of a muscular punch that's incredibly speed-y.<br>The fistic world was dull and weary,<br>But with a champ like Liston, things had to be dreary.<br>Then someone with color and someone with dash,<br>Brought fight fans a-runnin' with cash.<br>This brash young boxer is something to see<br>And the heavyweight championship is his destiny.
“In a competition of love we'll all share in the victory, no matter who comes first.”
Muhammad Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
Source: The Soul of a Butterfly (2004), p. xxiv
Contexte: Once we realize we are all members of humanity, we will want to compete in the spirit of love.
In a competition of love we would not be running against one another, but with one another. We would be trying to gain victory for all humanity. If I am a faster runner than you, you may feel bad seeing me pass you in the race, but if you know that we are both racing to make our world better, you will feel good knowing that we are racing toward a common goal, a mutual reward.
In a competition of love we'll all share in the victory, no matter who comes first.
Muhammad Ali livre The Soul of a Butterfly
Source: The Soul of a Butterfly (2004), p. xvi
Contexte: Over the years my religion has changed and my spirituality has evolved. Religion and spirituality are very different, but people often confuse the two. Some things cannot be taught, but they can be awakened in the heart. Spirituality is recognizing the divine light that is within us all. It doesn't belong to any particular religion; it belongs to everyone.
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see.”
Variante: Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
Source: Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times
“Frazier is so ugly that he should donate his face to the US Bureau of Wildlife.”
As quoted at "Ali's Quotes" at BBC Sport : Boxing (17 January 2007) http://news2.thdo.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/6267397.stm
Before his fight with Archie Moore (1962), as quoted in "Muhammad Ali was also great for civil rights" by Mark Wiedmer, in Times Free Press (17 January 2012) http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/17/muhammad-ali-also-great-for-civil-rights/?print
About Ernie Terrell before their February 1967 boxing match, - ( YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVZYo2MYmfg <br class="br">Source: https://books.google.ca/books?id=6ClZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=I+think+Terrell+will+catch+hell+at+the+sound+of+the+bell&source=bl&ots=2atsVuDXae&sig=ACfU3U0qSka952BOrSsGqAg13ji8vvdxPw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiK1sa854jvAhWY_J4KHe0xAf0Q6AEwEnoECAQQAw#v=onepage&q=I%20think%20Terrell%20will%20catch%20hell%20at%20the%20sound%20of%20the%20bell&f=false Ali: The Official Portrait of "The Greatest" of All Time
“How do you feel about Hitler sharing yours?”
Alleged response by Ali to a reporter who asked how he felt about sharing the Islamic faith with the suspects of the World Trade Center terrorist attack, as debunked at Snopes.com http://www.snopes.com/rumors/ali.htm. <br class="br">Misattributed
“I'm not the greatest; I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round”
As quoted in "Ali's Quotes" at BBC Sport : Boxing (17 January 2007)
Regarding the Vietnam War and conscription (1967) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeFMyrWlZ68