What it Takes to Be “The Greatest”: 8 Lessons From Muhammad Ali

As I contemplated this week’s Monday Motivator, my thoughts were dominated by the passing of Muhammad Ali, who was laid to rest Friday in Louisville, home to Learning House’s corporate headquarters. A lot has been said about Ali for years, and this week especially some incredibly moving tributes were given. I am not sure I can add more! But I want to try, because Ali gave so much inspiration in how he lived his life.

I was born at the height of Ali’s boxing career, when he won the “Thrilla in Manila” against Joe Frazier. I didn’t really get a chance to experience the ups and downs of his career as a boxer. However, watching Ali light the torch in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta brought tears to my eyes (and still does). Despite the effects of Parkinson’s, Ali showed his special brand of Ali courage.

I don’t want to minimize that Ali was a polarizing figure throughout his career with his braggadocio, draft dodging and Communist-sympathizing behavior. Yet, over time, he won over almost every critic with how he lived his life and his commitment to his principles. This week, I watched a few documentaries on Ali’s life and read through various quotes Ali made over the years. I have selected eight that I think symbolize what perhaps made Ali “The Greatest” of all time and what I look to emulate in my life.

8 Lessons from Muhammad Ali

Lesson 1: Live a purpose-driven life.

“It’s not the action that makes a thing right or wrong, but the purpose behind the action.”

Our actions should be motivated by a purpose greater than ourselves, designed to help others and to make a better world. In my Unstoppable Course, we explore our “why” for living. I have found the more we truly understand our “why,” which ultimately translates into a clear purpose, the simpler life becomes. In studying Ali’s life, his purpose was not selfish, but rather one focused on generosity and working for a larger cause. By pursuing this purpose, his flame will continue to burn centuries after his passing.

Lesson 2: Strive to be the greatest at whatever you do.

“I would have been the world’s greatest at whatever I did. If I were a garbage man, I’d be the world’s greatest garbage man! I’d pick up more garbage and faster than anyone has ever seen. To tell you the truth, I would have been the greatest at whatever I’d done!”

This quote really resonates with me as it brings up another quote I recite to myself every day in the morning, “Bring your passion with you wherever you go.” Don’t think to yourself “Oh, I’ll be great when I have _____ job or ____ amount of money.” Greatness is a habit and you want to start now. When you’re doing the laundry, aim to fold those undies as neatly as humanly possible. If you’re working a retail job, aim to provide the best customer service your company has ever seen.

Lesson 3: You are free if you choose to be free.

“I don’t have to be what anyone else wants me to be. I am free to be who I want to be.”

This quote is so empowering. We all have various types of limits we put on ourselves. In Ali’s time, growing up black in the segregated south, the limits were real but he refused to let them define him. Ali was so ahead of his time and demonstrated so much courage and conviction to break through those limits.

Lesson 4: Let love motivate your actions, not anything else.

“Love is a net that catches hearts like a fish.”

Love is the magnet that will pull the very best that life has to offer into your world, while acting as a beacon of light and heat that will warm the hearts of generations.

Lesson 5: Hope + Courage = Unstoppable

“I am riding on my horse of hope, holding in my hand the rein of courage. Dressed in the armor of patience, with the helmet of endurance on my head, I started out on my journey to the land of love.”

Each of us is on a journey filled with hope. Attach courage, patience and endurance to that hope and it will lead you to an amazing place.

Lesson 6: Address the small things, like bad habits, that can thwart your efforts.

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

Take time to remove any pebbles you may have picked up along the way. These can take the form of small bad habits, seeds of unforgiveness, lack of discipline, secret fears, or even devious doubts. Pull aside, even for a moment, to address these pebbles and deal with them. I recall a time when I was racing in a triathlon and decided not to address a small issue with my sock. A few miles later, I had massive blisters and had to walk instead. Had I just stopped and adjusted my sock, I would have been fine.

Lesson 7: Practice self-awareness.

“Wisdom is knowing when you can’t be wise.”

We are human. We cannot know everything. We cannot be good at everything, for we have strengths and we have weaknesses. If you do not have the wisdom in a certain area of your life then seek out the wise and make them your friends. Together we can become all wise and all knowing.

Lesson 8: Defer gratification now and endure pain in the short-term to achieve lofty goals in the long-term.

“I run on the road, long before I dance under the lights. I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”

If you want to live comfortably tomorrow, you’re going to have to sacrifice a bit today. I find that all champions are always in this mode of delayed gratification. They are always making sacrifices today to get the rewards of tomorrow. I liken this to saving money versus spending money. The classic “millionaire next door” scenario is where someone just saves more money than they spend each year for a few decades and ends up being a millionaire. There is no accident or luck here. It’s just the laws of nature and in particular the laws of compounding interest. The same laws apply to skills and knowledge.

Even after reading these eight inspiring quotes, I still feel like I have not fully captured the beauty of Ali. For me, it was his courage. As a human, he must have faced fear as we all do. Every time he got into the ring, he had to face his fear of death. When he decided not to fight in the Vietnam War, he faced years in prison and, worse, ridicule and anger from the American public. But he knew his beliefs and demonstrated the courage of his convictions. Regardless of how you feel about his decisions, it is courage like his that has changed the world. I truly believe that if it were not for individuals like Ali, we would still be living in the Dark Ages, or worse. Courage helps the human race advance and as Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”