Rocky is a poor Italian boy from a poor Italian family, and he appreciates the buck more than almost anybody. He's only got two halfway decent purses so far, and it was like a tiger tasting blood

I'd be conceited if I said I could, but I'd be lying if I said I couldn't.

To win takes a complete commitment of mind and body. When you can't make that commitment, they don't call you a champion anymore.

Why waltz with a guy for 10 rounds if you can knock him out in one?

Roland La Starza was tough, but Ezzard Charles was the toughest man I ever fought. I learned what pain was all about when I fought him.

I was on my face. I heard the count from one to 10. I kept telling myself that I had to get up, but I couldn't move. I couldn't make myself move. It was the strangest feeling.

Liston is like most big bullies, if you can stay away and make him miss for a few rounds he'll get frustrated. Once you strip away that feeling of invincibility, he can be had.

What could be better than walking down any street in any city and knowing you're the heavyweight champion of the world?

That was a f****g dumb question. If I didn't think I was gonna win, why the hell would I be fighting?!

In the ring, I never really knew fear.

The greatness of Marciano in the ring was defined by the way he prepared for a fight, his ability to punch and take a punch.

I am not going to pretend to write a love letter to another man.

The greatest rewards lie in the unknown.

You have to give 100 percent in the first half of the game. If that isn't enough, in the second half, you have to give what's left.

My generation is having its midlife crisis in its 20s.

The ultimate foundation of a free society is the binding tie of cohesive sentiment.

Believe me, you have to have a certain confidence in your powers of descretion to let a dentist loose with a drill in your mouth less than an hour after you've...um...entertained his wife.

One of my main techniques for acting is I try to know almost nothing beyond the words that I have to say, because that's my zone of control.

You don’t have the courage of a half-bred mongrel.

I've been blessed with an amazing group of guys in my first year, I can't believe how lucky I am.

Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, And vice sometime by action dignified.