There’s no one quite like Mike Tyson. The former heavyweight champion of the world is known for his aggressive style in and out of the ring, as well as his tumultuous personal life.
Tyson has said some pretty outrageous things over the years, and we’ve compiled some of our favorites here. Whether you’re a fan of Tyson or not, you have to admit that he’s a pretty entertaining guy. So read on, and enjoy some of Mike Tyson’s most memorable quotes!
Table of Contents
2. “You need to learn independence. You have to be independent – it builds character.” – Mike Tyson
3. “We all have struggles in life but we have to continue to fight.” – Mike Tyson
4. “Everybody thinks this is a tough man’s sport. This is not a tough man’s sport. This is a thinking man’s sport. A tough man is gonna get hurt real bad in this sport.” – Mike Tyson
5. “Most fighters are the most humble people in the world because they’ve gotten their ass kicked before.” – Mike Tyson
6. “Fighting is not physical, fighting is spiritual. It’s the determination and the will in the guy.” – Mike Tyson
7. “I’m scared every time I go into the ring, but it’s how you handle it. What you have to do is plant your feet, bite down on your mouthpiece and say, ‘Let’s go.” – Mike Tyson
8. “Every win, regardless a good or bad one, gives you more confidence.” – Mike Tyson
9. “I’m gonna make sure you talk about me, and your grandkids and kids after that gonna know about me…your great-grandkids will say “wow, wasn’t that a bizarre individual?” – Mike Tyson
10. “I don’t try to intimidate anybody before a fight. That’s nonsense. I intimidate people by hitting them.” – Mike Tyson
11. “Any man can do what he has to do. But doing it like you love it? That is what takes it to a whole different level. A champion does it like he loves it, even when he doesn’t.” – Mike Tyson
12. “There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes, just don’t make the same ones. We don’t want to duplicate them.” – Mike Tyson
13. “Many times I quit boxing even before I became a professional boxer” – Mike Tyson
14. “Man is not meant to be humble, he’s meant to be humbled.” – Mike Tyson
15. “Everyone says “I wish I was in your shoes…”, the hundreds of people that wish they were in my shoes don’t know the tenth of it. If they were in my shoes they would cry like a baby.” – Mike Tyson
16. “It’s good to be successful and have financial status but if you’re only gonna live for the money, you’re only gonna reach a certain status and I’m in there for greatness and peace of mind.” – Mike Tyson
18. “Fear is your best friend or your worst enemy. It’s like fire. If you can control it, it can cook for you; it can heat your house. If you can’t control it, it will burn everything around you and destroy you.” – Mike Tyson
19. “That’s what people respect, the fact that I wasn’t a chump that laid on his back and gave up.” – Mike Tyson
20. “If you don’t do it for passion and love, the emotional outcome will be disastrous.” – Mike Tyson
21. “Fighting is a sport if you’re not humble it’s going to bring humbleness to you.” – Mike Tyson
22. “When you have something in life that you want to accomplish greatly, you have to be willing to give up your happiness…I’ve lost all my sensitivity as far as being embarrassed, being shy, you just have to lose that.” – Mike Tyson
23. “Hard times fall upon everybody. Whatever it is, we’re going to get out of it.” – Mike Tyson
24. “That equals to being a fool, having fame and no fortune. A lot of guys out there have fame doing this and doing that, but they are broke.” – Mike Tyson
25. “Greatness is not guarding yourself from the people; greatness is being accepted by the people.” – Mike Tyson
26. “You come home, and you party. But after that, you get a hangover. Everything about that is negative.” – Mike Tyson
27. “Unfortunately, sometimes you can’t have fun accomplishing your goals. Sometimes people don’t have the determination, the will, the steadfastness, the tenacity, they give in under the slightest struggle.” – Mike Tyson
28. “Fear is the greatest obstacle to learning.” – Mike Tyson
29. “A man who was friendly with everyone was an enemy to himself.” – Mike Tyson
30. “Anger is my biggest enemy in life.” – Mike Tyson
31. “If I have to live at the top of the world, I also have to live at the bottom of the ocean. I don’t know how to live in the middle of life.” – Mike Tyson
32. “A good fighter needs to be diligent, committed and disciplined doing what you hate to do but do it like you love it.” – Mike Tyson
33. “I’m a dreamer. I have to dream and reach for the stars, and if I miss a star then I grab a handful of clouds.” – Mike Tyson
34. “Everyone that you fight is not your enemy and everyone who helps you is not your friend.” – Mike Tyson
35. “You stand your ground and you perform your art. That’s what the artist does. The artist is about perfection.” – Mike Tyson
36. “I can’t change myself. I’m Mike Tyson. I’m a regular kid from the ghetto striving to do something positive with myself. I happen to fight well.” – Mike Tyson
37. “In order to succeed greatly, you have to be prepared to fail greatly. If you can’t do both of them, you’ve got a problem.” – Mike Tyson
38. “As long as we persevere and endure, we can get anything we want.” – Mike Tyson
40. “I’m the biggest fighter in the history of the sport. If you don’t believe it, check the cash register.” – Mike Tyson
41. “I have the same malice in my heart as far as the fight game is concerned, but outside the ring, I won’t say anything a dignified man won’t say.” – Mike Tyson
42. “One must never allow fear to develop and build-up without having control over it because if you don’t you won’t be able to achieve your objective or save your life.” – Mike Tyson
43. “Whatever you want, especially when you’re striving to be the best in the world at something, there’ll always be disappointments, and you can’t be emotionally tied to them, because they’ll break your spirit.” – Mike Tyson
44. “My style was impetuous, my defenses were impregnable, and I was ferocious.” – Mike Tyson
45. “The tempt for greatness is the biggest drug in the world.” – Mike Tyson
46. “Some people try to get you out of slavery for you to be their slave.” – Mike Tyson
47. “The ability to apply the discipline, the ability to do what needs to be done no matter how he feels inside, in my opinion, is the definition of a true professional.” – Mike Tyson
48. “It’s good to know how to read, but it’s dangerous to know how to read and not how to interpret what you’re reading.” – Mike Tyson
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As you can see, Mike Tyson is a man of many words and has plenty to share on the topic of success. What’s most interesting about his quotes is that they are all grounded in reality.
There’s no sugarcoating or false promises; just straight-forward advice that, if followed, should lead you to success. We hope you enjoyed these Mike Tyson quotes and that they provided some inspiration for your own life and career aspirations.
Do you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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