Source: Magic Bites
“Well, we knocked the bastard off!”
Hillary's comment to George Lowe, after his successful ascent of Mt Everest, as he and Tenzing Norgay were descending from the summit. (29 May 1953); as recounted in Nothing Venture, Nothing Win (1975) Ch. 10; also recounted as "Well George, we’ve knocked the bastard off." as quoted by Jan Morris in "Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay" for TIME magazine (14 June 1999) http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/hillary_norgay01.html
“Knock Knock. Who's there? The Truth. No joke.”
James Burgh, in The Dignity of Human Nature, Or, A Brief Account of the Certain and Established Means for Attaining the True End of Our Existence (1754); this is very widely misattributed to Mann, appearing at least as early as the publication of Thoughts Selected from the Writings of Horace Mann (1867) edited by Mary Mann.
Misattributed
Variant in other editions: Do not think of knocking out another person's brains, because he differs in opinion from you; it will be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from what you thought ten years ago.
The Dignity of Human Nature (1754)
Teddy Atlas on Robinson's punching power http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2441835652984416201&ei=sjpZS9eZGZPllQevwenkAw&q=sugar+ray+robinson#
About Sugar Ray sourced
“God was knocking, and he wanted in bad.”
Describing the sound inside a spacecraft propelled by nuclear explosions, in Footfall (1986)
“A linebacker's job is to knock out running backs, to knock out receivers, to chase the football.”
As noted in "Ray Lewis finds motivation in disrespect" https://archive.is/yCnN8 (11 August 2005), by Jarrett Bell, USA Today.
2000s, 2005
“The only girl who ever knocked me out.”
Mike Weaver referring to Allan following their interview. Quoted in Face Value by Jani Allan.
“They are so busy knocking that they do not notice that the door is open!”
Hercule Poirot’s Early Cases (1974)
