The 30 Most Head Scratching Mike Tyson Quotes

Mike Tyson is one of the most divisive figures in the modern era. One of the greatest heavyweights of all time and a convicted rapist, he still commands attention, and his boxing exploits serve as an inspiration to millions all over the world. Born June 30th, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York, by 12 years old Mike was already involved in petty crime. But an encounter with Cus D’AMato, the legendary boxing trainer, changed his course. Tyson was a boxing prodigy, with Cus D’Amato claiming, if he continued the road he was on as a boxer, he would become heavyweight champion of the world. 8 years later, at only 20, Cus D’Amato’s prediction would come true, with Tyson stopping Trevor Berbick in the second round, becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever!

Mike Tyson would defend his title 9 times, before his life began to unravel professionally and personally. Part of his big downfall was his loss to Buster Douglas and then he was arrested for rape in 1991. He fell from grace and served 3 years in prison. When he was released, he got back in shape, returned to the ring and regained the heavyweight boxing championship of the world. Eventually time and age took a toll and he officially retired in 2005

Tyson was as well known for his brutal and aggressive boxing style as his questionable conduct inside and outside the ring. He holds the third longest bound together title reign in heavyweight boxing history at 8 successive safeguards. Tyson presently positions fourteenth in BoxRec’s positioning of the best heavyweights in history.[12] He was positioned sixteenth on The Ring magazine’s rundown of 100 biggest punchers of all time,[13] and first on ESPN’s rundown of “The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History”.[14] Sky Sports described him as “maybe the most brutal warrior to venture into an expert ring.” Mike is a boxing and sports legend and recognized everywhere around the world as one of the most famous athletes in history.  He has been enlisted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Mike Tyson quotes

  1. “Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth.” Mike Tyson
  2. “God lets everything happen for a reason. It’s all a learning process, and you have to go from one level to another.” Mike Tyson
  3. “As long as we persevere and endure, we can get anything we want.” Mike Tyson
  4. “I don’t understand why people would want to get rid of pigeons. They don’t bother no one.” Mike Tyson
  5. “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
  6. “Discipline; doing what you hate to do but do it like you love it.” Mike Tyson
  7. “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.” Mike Tyson
  8. “You can’t be disturbed by anything. There’s no emotion involved. You can’t feel sorrow, you can’t feel pity, there’s nothing you feel. The job has to be done.” Mike Tyson
  9. “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
  10. “I had to persevere because this was my life. This championship, this was the stuff I dreamt of all my life, and I wasn’t gonna be denied.” Mike Tyson
  11. “In order for me to achieve… I had to regard myself greater than what I was. In other words, I had to fake it until I make it.” Mike Tyson
  12. “These pigeons have been living with each other for 10 or 15 years, but when I throw feed down, they kill each other to get it, and it’s the same with the fighters. We love and respect each other…but we need that money.” Mike Tyson
  13. “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
  14. “That’s what people respect, the fact that I wasn’t a chump that laid on his back and gave up.” Mike Tyson
  15. “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
  16. “My biggest weakness is my sensitivity. I am too sensitive a person.” Mike Tyson
  17. “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
  18. “I’ll fight anybody my trainer puts me in with because I’m confident I can beat any fighter in the world. If anybody can see I’m almost a master at evading punches coming at me.” Mike Tyson
  19. “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, cos’ they’ll break your spirit.” Mike Tyson
  20. “We wanna believe that we’re different than the average guy that’s working 9-to-5, that our thoughts are different than his. Our inspirations and desires are different than his, that’s why we succeed and he didn’t cos we wanna believe we’re different, but he just didn’t get the break that we had…or he wasted it on something else.” Mike Tyson
  21. “The only thing I do is just pray for inspiration, for a way of thinking, because I don’t have any particular goal in sight.” Mike Tyson
  22. “I just have this thing inside me that wants to eat and conquer. Maybe it’s egotistical, but I have it in me. I don’t want to be a tycoon. I just want to conquer people and their souls.” Mike Tyson
  23. “We all have struggles in life, but we have to continue to fight.” Mike Tyson
  24. “These books ain’t window dressing. I think Machiavelli’s the most sophisticated writer outside of Shakespeare. Way ahead of his time. Such a manipulative person. Everything he accomplished he did by kissin’ ass.” Mike Tyson
  25. “As long as we persevere and endure, we can get anything we want.” Mike Tyson
  26. You need to learn independence. You have to be independent – it builds character.” Mike Tyson
  27. “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
  28. “Anger is my biggest enemy in life.” Mike Tyson
  29. “Greatness is not guarding yourself from the people; greatness is being accepted by the people.” Mike Tyson
  30. “The tempt for greatness is the biggest drug in the world.” Mike Tyson
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Mike Tyson on Joe Rogan Experience

If you like Mike and want to see him go really deep, this episode from the Joe Rogan Experience in the world. This episode is September 4, 2020 and has been watched more than 7 Million Times!

Conclusion

Mike Tyson is literally a rags to riches story. He was born into poverty and rose from the ashes to be one of the top boxers and one of the most famous athletes in the world. He rose to fame and also had a fall from fame, after he was convicted of sexual assault and went to jail. He got out and rebuilt his life and has risen again.

In his post boxing career, Mike has created a cartoon TV Show, Mike Tyson Mysteries, that is similar to Scooby Doo and very funny in its own right. He also did a one man Stage Show that was well received. And he is currently working on a Mike Tyson Farms Marijuana project. He also has a podcast that is very popular and he has been a guest on many shows including The Joe Rogan Experience. As of this writing in the Fall of 2020, he is planning a return to the ring at the age of 51!

Mike Tyson’s life is a reminder that if we are defined by the things outside of ourselves, and if, and when, we eventually lose those things, it can destroy our self-worth. That is why it’s important to value who we are and not define ourselves by our jobs or relationships. Whether we succeed or fail, ultimately it is how we value ourselves.

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Image Credit: Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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