When the trainer talks to the fighter, there's a connection. You don't always have to say much.
Sugar Ray LeonardRead
My ambition is not to be just a good fighter. I want to be great, something special.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of striving for greatness rather than settling for mediocrity.
Sugar Ray Leonard expresses a desire to transcend the ordinary and achieve greatness in his pursuits, highlighting that mere competence is not enough. This ambition to be exceptional serves as a motivational reminder that aiming high can lead to extraordinary outcomes, encouraging others to pursue their unique potential and not limit themselves to being simply 'good' at something.
In practice
In a motivational speech aimed at athletes striving to reach their full potential.
When the trainer talks to the fighter, there's a connection. You don't always have to say much.
Boxing's a poor man's sport. We can't afford to play golf or tennis. It is what it is. It's kept so many kids off the street. It kept me off the street.
Muhammad Ali was a god, an idol and an icon. He was boxing. Any kid that had the opportunity to talk to Ali, to get advice from Muhammad Ali, was privileged. He's always given me time to ask questions, although I was so in awe that I didn't ask questions.
Bruce Lee was an artist and, like him, I try to go beyond the fundamentals of my sport. I want the public to see a knockout in the making.
The Olympics meant everything to me. Going through them is like nothing else you will ever experience. For those few weeks, you are in another world. At that point, I couldn't see how there could ever be anything better.
To say what I would have been if I wasn't boxing, I don't know why, but I always wanted to be an x-ray technician or a substitute teacher. Those two occupations always stuck with me, maybe because my substitute teacher didn't give us homework, or because I've always had x-rays of my hands.
After 99 fights, I don't fight for the passion of boxing.
You've got to love what you're doing. If you love it, you can overcome any handicap, or the soreness, or all the aches and pains and continue to play for a long, long time.
I am still pushing the edge of what my body can do.
When I am occupied with a work that requires continuity - a novel, for example - I write every day.
Progress is not an illusion, it happens, but it is slow and invariably disappointing.
I want to be around people that do things. I don't want to be around people anymore that judge or talk about what people do. I want to be around people who dream and support and do things.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.