Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) Tribute List

Muhammad Ali died on June 3, 2016 at the age of 74 from respiratory issues. It may be hard to imagine but at one time, not too long ago, a boxer transcended sports and dominated the culture. Muhammad Ali's unmatched skill within the ring, and his charisma, humor and bravery outside of it defined an era. Ali was famous for dubbing himself "The Greatest," but in several ways that wasn't a boast, but merely the truth. Born Cassius Clay, Ali changed his name when he embraced Islam, a very controversial decision for a public figure at the time. Ali also refused to fight in Vietnam, was found guilty of draft evasion and was stripped of his title. Ali understood the obligation of being a public figure as the obligation of being true to himself. Here are 15 vocabulary words from quotes by Muhammad Ali, that are a mixture of the boastful, the witty and the reflective sides of the man and the champion.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. courageous
    able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
    He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
  2. vain
    unproductive of success
    I've made my share of mistakes along the way, but if I have changed even one life for the better, I haven't lived in vain.
  3. tussle
    disorderly fighting
    I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick.
  4. mandatory
    required by rule
    To be able to give away riches is mandatory if you wish to possess them. This is the only way that you will be truly rich
  5. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    I'm no leader; I'm a little humble follower.
  6. affirmation
    a statement asserting the truth of something
    It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.
  7. plague
    annoy continually or chronically
    If you lose a big fight, it will worry you all of your life. It will plague you - until you get your revenge
  8. endurance
    the power to withstand hardship or stress
    All through my life, I have been tested. My will has been tested, my courage has been tested, my strength has been tested. Now my patience and endurance are being tested.
  9. retribution
    the act of taking revenge
    Throughout my life, I never sought retribution against those who hurt me because I believe in forgiveness. I have practiced forgiving, just as I want to be forgiven. Only God knows what's in a person's heart, his true intentions. He sees and hears all things.
  10. stamina
    enduring strength and energy
    Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.
  11. frantic
    marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion
    Now Liston is disappearing from view, the crowd is going frantic,
    But radar stations have picked him up, somewhere over the Atlantic.
    Who would have thought when they came to the fight?
    That they'd witness the launching of a human satellite.
    Yes the crowd did not dream, when they put up the money,
    That they would see a total eclipse of the Sonny.
  12. conceive
    have the idea for
    If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it—then I can achieve it.
  13. plodding
    (of movement) slow and laborious
    I hated the sight on TV of big, clumsy, lumbering heavyweights plodding, stalking each other like two Frankenstein monsters, clinging, slugging toe to toe. I knew I could do it better ... circle, dance, shuffle, hit and move ... make an art out of it.
  14. belittle
    lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of
    There live a great man named Joe / who was belittled by a loudmouth foe / While his rival would taunt and tease / Joe silently bore the stings / And then fought like a gladiator in the ring
  15. brooding
    persistent morbid meditation on a problem
    Brooding over blunders is the biggest blunder.
Created on Thu Jun 02 18:06:15 EDT 2016 (updated Sat Jun 04 07:11:28 EDT 2016)

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