"In the early 1970s Muhammad Ali fought for the heavyweight title against George Foreman. The fight was held in the African nation of Zaire; it was insensitively called the "rumble in the jungle." Ali won the fight, and upon returning to the United States, he was asked by a reporter, "Champ, what did you think of Africa?" Ali replied, "Thank God my granddaddy got on that boat!" There is a characteristic mischievous pungency to Ali's remark, yet it also expresses a widely held sentiment. Ali recognizes that for all the horror of slavery, it was the transmission belt that brought Africans into the orbit of Western freedom. The slaves were not better off—the boat Ali refers to brought the slaves through a horrific Middle Passage to a life of painful servitude—yet their descendants today, even if they won't admit it, are better off. Ali was honest enough to admit it."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
African AmericansMuslims from the United StatesSufisBoxers from the United StatesPeople from Louisville
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Dinesh D'Souza, America: Imagine a World without Her (2014), Ch. 8. Most likely a misattribution. A Newsweek article at the time of the match attributed the quote "Thank God our grandpappies caught that boat!" to George Foreman's manager Dick Sadler. "It Takes a Heap of Salongo", Newsweek (September 23, 1974), p. 72.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Related Quotes
"This is the legend of Cassius Clay, The most beautiful fighter in the world today. He talks a great deal, and brags i…"
"The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life."
"Ain't no reason for me to kill nobody in the ring, unless they deserve it."
"You been hearing about how bad I am since you were a little kid with mess in your pants! Tonight, I'm gonna whip you …"
"That's the only way you gonna save this sucker. He's doomed."
"I think Terrell will catch hell at the sound of the bell. He's going around saying that he's a championship-fighter, …"
"Archie's been living off the fat of the land. I'm here to give him his pension plan. When you come to the fight don't…"
"I never thought of losing, but now that it's happened, the only thing is to do it right. That's my obligation to all …"
"I've got a lot of white associates. Elijah Muhammad, is the one who preached that the white man of America, number on…"
"I hated every minute of it. But I said to myself, 'Suffer now, and live the rest of your life as a champion'."