Quotes from George Foreman

Heroes have a rough time because they stand up when they ought not to, they speak when they ought not to; they always have to go that extra mile.

I cannot remember a time when I was not getting into fights.

People are hurt in love affairs and never recover, more than a boxing match.

You don't have to try to hurt people and be angry to be an athlete.

When you speak to a lot of kids, as I've done over the years, you know what to say, keep them laughing, good illustrations and learn to read.

I love the pigeons. I just raise them, period, and feed them. Pigeons go away, and they always come back. You get a touch of freedom, and then they are free to come back to you. I love the idea of pigeons.

The greatest asset, even in this country, is not oil and gas. It's integrity. Everyone is searching for it, asking, 'Who can I do business with that I can trust?'

Forgiveness is that subtle thread that binds both love and friendship. Without forgiveness, you may not even have a child one day.

If you can maintain that integrity in whatever you do, you can't go wrong. That's what I tell my kids, anyway.

Muhammad Ali is a true hero, and the fact there's something wrong with him is his badge of valour. He's a great man.

I am so happy to be alive. That's the one thing I'd like for people to know. Sometimes people walk by and slip up and say the wrong thing about me, and I'll smile. They wonder why am I smiling. Because I'm happy that I'm alive.

It would be hard to throw a punch to someone who wasn't a boxer, who wasn't in the ring, and who didn't have on a pair of boxing gloves and who hadn't been training.

It's very important that people know that I really enjoy everything that has happened to me. And I tell my kids... you're not going to be the tallest, fastest, prettiest, the best track runner, but you can be the nicest human being that someone has ever met in their life. And I just want to leave that legacy that being nice is a true treasure.

Generally when there's a lot of smoke... there's just a whole lot more smoke.

Anytime I can sneak in a moment to fish and ride horses, I'm a happy camper.

I wanted to be champ of the world, but I kept hoping something would happen to Frazier. I didn't want to fight him. Nobody wanted to fight Joe Frazier.

We fought in 1974 - that was a long time ago. After 1981, we became the best of friends. By 1984, we loved each other. I am not closer to anyone else in this life than I am to Muhammad Ali. Why? We were forged by that first fight in Zaire, and our lives are indelibly linked by memories and photographs, as young men and old men.

The integration of a headgear in professional boxing would do so much to make it safer for young men. They could go into the sport, make a lot of money and then come out and be good grandfathers.

I started a youth center in Houston. The kids would come in and want to learn to box; they wanted to tear up the world, beat up the world. And I'd try to show them they didn't need anger. They didn't need all that killing instinct they'd read about. You can be a human being and pursue boxing as a sport.

I wanted to be the best street fighter in Houston, Texas. And I thought if I got a trophy or two, I'd go back home, and everyone would be afraid of me. I had one fight in '67, the first one. In '68 of October, I was an Olympic gold-medalist, a dream come true, with a total of 25 boxing matches.

Just take one step at a time, trusting that God still has a plan for you, and He will make the best out of your situation.

My mother was watching on television and she doesn't want me to hurt anyone.

I think sleeping was my problem in school. If school had started at four in the afternoon, I'd be a college graduate today.

There's more to boxing than hitting. There's not getting hit, for instance.