Laila Ali Quotes

"Focus on being balanced - success is balance."

"I understand that the average person can't imagine damaging their looks in any way if it could be avoided. But I don't value my physical beauty to the point where I would not do something I truly enjoy because I'm afraid of potentially hurting something superficial."

"I was never offended that people underestimated me because of my appearance or that they thought I was pretty and discouraged me from fighting because they didn't want me to risk hurting my looks."

"Everybody wants recognition, but we can't all get it."

"My father loves people. No matter what their race, no matter what their position in life, he treated everyone with kindness and love and respect. And that was instilled in me just by watching him."

"I've had people in the family, male and female, impacted by heart disease. But people can prevent it."

"If you knew you could change your lifestyle and diet and avoid heart disease and other things, you should do it."

"I never intended to box forever, and always planned to move on to do other things."

"I do my best to work out 5 days a week. There are times when I can only get in 3 days a week because I am traveling or just need rest due to a hectic schedule. But working out is always a priority, and if I fall off due to my schedule, it is not long before I get back on track."

"I'm not a team sports person type person, so I probably would have been good at tennis, because I like tennis. But my parents really didn't push me. I think if my parents would have guided me and stay committed, I could have played any sport I wanted to, but I never did."

"I like to play by my own rules."

"'All in With Laila Ali' is educational, inspirational, compelling programming profiling individuals that have reached for the sky, pushed themselves to the limit and did things that you would think were impossible."

"I saw women's boxing on television for the first time when I was 18, and that's when I wanted to do it. So, it didn't come from me watching my father. I didn't know the sport existed; therefore, I wasn't really interested in it until I saw it."

"I don't really try to tell people whether they should fight. It's definitely not for everybody."

"I love engaging in conversation with other moms because we can relate to one another, and we swap valuable insight and information."

"I'm private in the sense that I like my personal space and only want people in the parts of my business that I choose to share. Anything I feel is too personal to share publicly, I keep to myself."

"People who are fit are the same as anyone else. The only difference is their level of commitment. If looking good and being fit was easy, everyone would do it! Most people don't want to put in the work or make the sacrifices needed in order to be fit."

"My kids know the importance of being active - and that's why teaming up with the USTA was such an organic fit for me. They are making strives to get families outside - and using tennis as a way to get kids to stay active."

"I have to get a workout in in the morning. Once my day starts, I'll have the best intentions, and it still won't happen: one of the kids needs to be picked up somewhere, I have to hop on a conference call, or I'm just tired. So I get it done in the A.M."

"My dad lived by example. I lived by watching him. I watched all the great things he did and said. I try to walk that talk for my children."

"I think that the greatest lesson I learned from my father is just having compassion towards people."

"People like to see me fight. A name can only take you so far. There are only a few fighters out of the thousands of boxers out there that have name recognition. I'm definitely not upset by that."

"My dad is a comedian, entertainer, you know. He always likes to make people laugh. With me, it just depends on what mood I'm in. You get what you get."

"Running is my time for myself. I'm like, 'I'm going for a run!' and my husband knows I'm out of there."

"All fighters run. The constant motion prepares you for being in the ring. And running strengthens your legs. Punching power comes from your lower body."

"I wasn't in shape at all before I decided to do boxing. I wasn't an athlete. Before boxing, I would go to the gym for a month and stop."

"I never ran with my dad. He was old-school. He had a whole different idea of training. He ran in steel-toed boots! But, of course, he's proud of me and proud of the boxer that I became."

"Authenticity is very important - be true to one's self."

"Since I was a child, my father was sick. I've always known him to be that way. That's why I'm proud of him - he has a disease he's obviously struggling with, but he's not letting it stop him from doing what he wants to do."

"We shared our father with the world."