Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn't choose it, and I didn't want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name - it means beloved of God - and I insist people use it when speaking to me and of me.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Muhammad Ali rejects his birth name as a symbol of slavery and chooses his own identity.
- In plain terms
- He refused a name given by others and took a name that means free and beloved.
- What can you take from it?
- Control your own name and identity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who names you?
- What does your name say about you?
Another view
Names do not determine freedom or worth by themselves.
More from Muhammad Ali
Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other up.
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