A boxing legend and cultural icon passed away last night -- Muhammad Ali died with his family by his side after experiencing breathing problems. To honor his memory, here are 30 of his best quotes: 'Float like a butterfly, Sting like a bee, your hands can't hit, what your eyes can't see.' - Prior to his fight against Foreman in 1974. 'If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it – then I can achieve it.' 'I'm not the greatest; I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round.' 'It's hard to be humble, when you're as great as I am.' 'To make America the greatest is my goal, so I beat the Russian and I beat the Pole. And for the USA won the medal of gold. The Greeks said you're better than the Cassius of old.' - He said this quote after he won the Olympic light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Games in Rome. Share if you think Ali was a legend 'It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.' 'Live every day like it's your last because someday you're going to be right.' 'A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted thirty years of his life.' 'I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale, handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. I'm so mean I make medicine sick.' - Ali said this before the historic Rumble in the Jungle match that took place in 1974 in Zaire against George Foreman. 'I am so fast that last night I turned off the light switch and was in bed before the room was dark.' Share if you think Ali was a legend 'Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beating each other up.' 'Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn't choose it, and I didn't want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name, and I insist people using it when speaking to me and of me.' 'It will be a killer and a chiller and a thriller when I get the gorilla in Manila.' - Ali said this before the historic and legendary 'Thrilla in Manila' match against Joe Frazier in 1975. 'I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' 'Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.' Share if you think Ali was a legend 'There are no pleasures in a fight, but some of my fights have been a pleasure to win.' 'I am the greatest, I'm the greatest that ever lived. I don't have a mark on my face.' - Ali said this after he beat competitor Sonny Liston in 1964. 'Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.' 'Don't count the days; make the days count.' 'It's not bragging if you can back it up.' Share if you think Ali was a legend 'Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.' - Ali said this prior to a fight against George Foreman in 1974. 'At home I am a nice guy: but I don't want the world to know. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far.' 'If you even dream of beating me, you better wake up and apologize.' 'My way of joking is to tell the truth. That's the funniest joke in the world.' 'I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky, my name not yours. My religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.' - Ali said this in 1970 when he was convicted of draft evasion. Share if you think Ali was a legend 'The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses—behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.' 'He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.' 'It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.' Share if you think Ali was a legend Muhammad Ali died at 74 years old after a 32 year battle with Parkinson's disease: Muhammad Ali, the self-proclaimed greatest boxer of all time, has died aged 74 after a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease. The legendary fighter died with his family at his side on Friday evening, a day after he was rushed to hospital outside Phoenix, Arizona, with difficulty breathing. 'After a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening,' Ali's spokesman said. His legion of fans, celebrities and fellow boxers lined up to memorialize their icon but the most heartwarming tributes were paid by his family. His daughter Hana remembered her father as a "Humble Mountain!" with a 'beautiful soul'. Ali's family said his funeral would be held in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and thanked the public for their outpouring of support. The three-time heavyweight champion, who was also a key figure in America's civil rights movement, had been on life support in hospital, after he was found 'barely breathing' at his home on Thursday. Read more: Daily Mail Here were some of his most memorable fights: Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier The Thrilla in Manila, Quezon City, The Philippines, October 1, 1975 The final instalment of the finest heavyweight trilogy saw Ali and Joe Frazier push each other to the brink and back again. Ali was on top for the early exchanges, but Frazier and his trademark left hook gave his nemesis' body such brutal attention in the middle rounds that The Greatest would later remark, 'It was the closest thing to death'. After the 10th, the champ was a beaten, broken man, slumped on his stool. It would get worse. The following round saw Ali trapped in Frazier's corner, with Smokin' Joe unleashing a torrent of punishment. 'I hit him with punches that would have brought down the walls of a city,' he said. The Rumble in the Jungle: October 29, 1974, 20th of May Stadium, Kinshasa, Zaire In the sweltering heat of Kinshasa, Ali faced the seemingly indomitable Foreman for his first title fight since first meeting Frazier. Unbeaten in 40 fights, Foreman had made mincemeat of Frazier, knocking him down six times inside two rounds. He had intimidated Ken Norton too – the man who broke Ali’s jaw and took him 24 rounds in two fights – taking just five minutes to beat the former Marine. Now aged 32, there were concerns for Ali’s safety against the devastating 25-year-old. But a masterclass in pre-fight psychology saw the locals cheering on Ali (‘Ali bomaye,’ (‘Ali, kill him!’) they hollered ) while a bemused Foreman was jeered while walking his Alsatian – a symbol of the country’s colonial past. Cassius Clay vs Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, September 5, 1960, Rome Cassius Marcellus Clay took some convincing to travel to Rome due to a fear of flying, but there was little doubt that the 18-year-old was destined for fame following his gold medal. A record of 100 wins in 108 fights going into the Games meant many predicted Clay would win the light-heavyweight title. So it proved. Showing his effusive personality in the Olympic village (he was known as the mayor, such was his determination to shake hands with everyone), Clay progressed to a final with portly Pole Zbigniew Pietrzykowski. Initially stymied by his southpaw style, Clay took some heavy punishment in the opening round but adapted to his opponent - a trademark of his later career - in the second. Knowing he needed a knockout in the final round, Clay attacked relentlessly. His opponent dazed by combinations and his speed, Clay drew blood and came close to that precious KO. Muhammad Ali vs Ernie Terrell, February 6 1967, Astrodome, Houston 'What's my name?!' Ali would bellow at the start of each round. Despite knowing his opponent for the best part of 15 years, Ernie Terrell had made the mistake of calling Ali Cassius Clay in the build-up to the fight. To make matters worse, Terrell did not take too kindly to Ali refusing to serve his country, and the pair embarked upon an acrimonious build-up. During the fight, Ali was in no mood to let the 25-year-old WBA heavyweight champion forget it. What emerged was a one-sided, often ugly fight, as an enraged Ali taunted his opponent and meted out a punishing, unanimous win against his former friend and sparring partner. See more: Daily Mail Share if you think Ali was a legend
