Mike Tyson quotes

One time “Baddest man On The Planet” is now in a different space in life

Mike Tyson is one of the most misunderstood boxers, and humans, in recent memory.

A lot of Tyson quotes, some of the most famous, show a reckless Tyson, many from his active days as a fighter, when braggadocio and self-promotion played a huge part in what he said. However, he has undoubtedly entered a new space in his life now. He has evolved admirably as a human being, and has a lot more depth to his character than it may first seem.

Some of Tyson’s most famous quotes which have entered boxing folklore are remembered fondly by fans, but they can also give a different perception of a man who has changed, and does not want to be recognised as the man he once was.

He was an intimidating, out of control individual and fighter. Yes, he did once bite Evander Holyfield’s ears during a fight and he is a convicted rapist (a crime Tyson has always been adamant he did not commit). Recent events during a plane journey did not ease the perception that Mike is some sort of lunatic.

However, to quote Harper Lee in her award winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

Tyson was a kid from the streets, with no parents who could act as role models, who was very innately gifted at a young age and was dropped into the heavyweight title mix when he was still a teenager.

To expect perfection from such an individual is unfair.

Tyson went from the darkest of beginnings to reach greatness, and is now striving for humility and to be the best version of himself. He should be appreciated for who he is.

Here, I will go through a few quotes from Tyson which show a different side to the man, a side which many people will be less familiar with, but shows a lot of evolution and maturity in the once “Baddest Man On The Planet”.

“All the non-believers, all the atheists, when it’s the last moment of our life, we say “Oh God, please help us” or whatever we call God, “Oh God please help us”, or whatever we know that’s bigger than us, we say please help us. Even when we don’t believe, please help us.”

Mike is telling us that God exists. When we are in a dire and desperate situation in life, the last resort in our hour of need is to always turn to God. Even when we believe ourselves to be non-believers, God, or some form of higher energy, exists, and is who we turn to.

“You know what from my experience I found out? That God tests you. To see how much of this you can take before you say let’s just be finished with this. He wants to show you something. He wants to see how much you can take, how much you can handle of life. You say you love life, you want to live life. Ima show you life. Life is beautiful, but you have to accept the good and the bad as being beautiful. That’s the purpose of life, just to enjoy what we have while we journey through it. We have to live life on life’s terms, not on our terms.”

Life is a test provided by God. It will have its ups, and it will have its downs. Tyson has been through the lowest experiences in life, but still acknowledges the beauty of life in all its glory and downfalls alike. We must embrace the bad times, just like we embrace the good. When you feel like life is great and you’re invincible, you can be humbled by God at any moment, but even in the most humbled and dire moments of your life, life should still be appreciated.

“In order to be good, you have to lose and understand loss, because loss is life.”

Whether it be losses as a fighter, or just in life, losses are an inevitable part of life, whether it be losing a loved one, or the diminishing of your physical looks with age, it is all part of life. Whether it be in your profession or as a person, losses enable you to evolve.

“If you think a lot of money’s going to make you happy, you’ve never had a lot of money before.”

Mike accrued hundreds of millions of pounds during his boxing career, but in the end, money did not bring him happiness. Seeking humility, having a happy family, treating people better and striving to become a better human being has brought him more happiness.

“Everyone that you fight is not your enemy and everyone who helps you is not your friend.”

Not all disagreements, altercations etc with an individual mean that person means you harm, but also, not everybody smiling in your face and appearing to have your best interests at heart, mean you well. Watch those around you closely.

“In order to be a friend to anybody, you have to be a friend to yourself. If you’re not a friend to yourself, there’s no way you’re gonna have any friends.”

For you to be the best version of yourself and the best friend you can be, you must be right within. Only when you are right within, can you be a good friend that others will seek a deep bond and connection with. First and foremost, look after yourself, and blossoming relationships with others will follow.

“Getting hit is not pressure. Pressure’s the thought of being hit, which is a million times worse than actually being hit. The mind is the enemy.”

Interesting insight into the psychological aspect of fighting. Tyson’s legendary trainer during the early years of his career, Cus D’Amato, had a deep understanding about the psychology of discipline and fear, which he passed onto Mike at a young age. Cus’ development of a fighter was done with as much focus on the mind as the physical attributes. Overcoming the fears and mental demands of boxing can be just as challenging as the physical requirements.

“I’ve met a lot of great people, but most of the great people I met, they weren’t good people.”

One can achieve ‘greatness’ in their craft, but integrity matters more. You can be great in what you do, but are you a good person? Did you strive towards greatness in your craft at the expense of your morals, principles and how you treat people?

“Know how to interpret reading. It’s good to know how to read, but it’s dangerous to know how to read and not how to interpret what you’re reading.”

This is an interesting quote because with Mike being a Muslim, this has a further layer and has real significance and meaning. In Islam, and religions in general, one of the main factors that has caused segregation and sectarianism, is different interpretations of what has been read. If sound logic and judgment is not applied when one is reading, the consequences can be drastic, with a direct impact on unity.

“Now that I’m older I can see everyone was my teacher.”

All the people he met, all the experiences he had through the people he met, it was all to teach him lessons moving forward in life, which have helped him to mature and become a better person.