When We Were Kings (1996)

Don King: Self

Quotes 

• Muhammad Ali : It is befitting that I leave the game just like I came in, beating a big bad monster who knocks out everybody and no one can whup him. That's when little Cassius Clay from Louisville, Kentucky, came up to stop Sonny Liston. The man who annihilated Floyd Patterson twice. HE WAS GONNA KILL ME! But he hit harder than George. His reach is longer than George's. He's a better boxer than George. And I'm better now than I was when you saw that 22-years old undeveloped kid running from Sonny Liston. I'm experienced now, professional. Jaws been broke, been knocked down a couple of times, I'm bad! Been chopping trees. I done something new for this fight. I done wrestled with an alligator. That's right. I have wrestled with an alligator. I done tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail. That's bad! Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick! I'm so mean I make medicine sick!

  Don King : Bad dude!

  Muhammad Ali : Bad, fast! Fast! Fast! Last night I cut the light off in my bedroom, hit the switch and was in the bed before the room was dark.

• Don King : I heard a speech by Jesse Jackson. You know, he was sayin' that we must recognize that we are only useful as long as we're necessary.

  Self - Writer : As long as you're necessary.

  Don King : So, when we become unnecessary, we are no longer useful. So, they don't realize that your strength comes from your community.

  Self - Writer : And you have to deal from your strength.

  Don King : You have to deal from your strength; because, if you're dealin' from your strength, you got somebody. So, if somebody grabs James Brown and want to hurt James Brown, somebody gonna raise their voice and say, why are you botherin' my brother James Brown. Because, he got some soldiers around. He's got somebody that's concerned, that cares about him. But, when you're dealing as an individual, no matter how big you get, as a black individual, you're still a nigger. You don't care how much money you get, you are still a nigger. And when you start that by yourself, you are all alone. When you become unnecessary.

• Don King : Anything worthwhile is worth fighting for. So, we have a situation here that we have been struck with adversity and that you think about what Shakespeare said, you know: The sweet are the uses of adversity, ugly and venomous, like the toad, Yet, wears a precious jewel in his head.

• Don King : I can understand him and he can understand me. You understand?