Mike Tyson
Former American heavyweight boxing champion.
"One of my friends once saw another guy's (criminal) record and said, 'Look, this guy is a born troublemaker, just a loser.' I had to tell him, 'No, that's my record — and it doesn't include my juvenile history.'"
"Don't be surprised if I behave like a savage. I am a savage."
"My main objective is to be professional but to kill him."
2005: “I just don’t have the guts for it anymore. I don’t want to disgrace the sport. This is a great sport. It can take men from humble beginnings and have them rub shoulders with royalty.”
"People love you when you're successful, but if you're not, who really cares about you?"
"Most writers, in my opinion, are dysfunctional derelicts."
"My career has been over since 1990."
"Her mother is beautiful, but she [Rayna] is so gorgeous she makes her mother look like a junkyard dog."
"I'm just a sucker even talking to you guys. I should be ready to rip your heads off your necks. But it's just not the right thing to do."
"I'm not going to tell you I am a good father. I have to contribute to the world. I have to teach [my children] how to contribute to the world. That’s our whole existence – to contribute to the world and make it a better place in some way. In my life I contributed to make it a bad place.”
"I have to dream and reach for the stars, and if I miss a star then I grab a handful of clouds."
Every fighter's got a plan until they get hit.
"When you see me smash somebody's skull, you enjoy it."
"He was trying to scrutinize with my brain."
"Then I came out of jail and beat guys because they were basically scared."
"You can set a good example that you don't have to throw blows or be belligerent to get your point across."
"You're smart too late and old too soon."
To a question on whether he feels support from the common fan: "I don't feel love from them because there's no love. They don't know me as an individual; they know me for what I actually do. Because they pay to see me smash anybody. If they're white they pay, [it's] because the only thing they have respect for is my ability as an athlete. But if I was in court and I had to use them to testify against me on my character, they wouldn't testify positively against me and they would think I'm a cad..."
"When I had money I was an animal. I was so belligerent. I lost all across the board."
"I'm not too interested in these swan songs I'm continuing to hear. I'm just Mike. I'm a peasant. I'm here to entertain the people. I'm no elite person. At one stage in my life, I had my little jewelry and all my little girlfriends and my big cars and things. At one point, I thought life was about acquiring things. But as a I get older life is totally about losing everything. As life goes on, we lose more than we acquire. I don't want the finest girl in the world anymore. I'm just trying to stay balanced, basically."