You see, it's never the environment; it's never the events of our lives, but the meaning we attach to the events - how we interpret them - that shapes who we are today and who we'll become tomorrow.

What keeps me going is goals.

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.

Life is a gamble. You can get hurt, but people die in plane crashes, lose their arms and legs in car accidents; people die every day. Same with fighters: some die, some get hurt, some go on. You just don't let yourself believe it will happen to you.

It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.

It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.

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

I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.