Summary Of Muhammad Ali's 'I Am Still The Greatest'

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When I think about the greatest of all time. I think about Muhammad Ali because he is the best boxer to have ever boxed plus his outspokenness on issues of race, religion, and politics. Ali expresses his commitment in believing himself in his 2009 this I believe essay “ I am Still the Greatest.” Ali shares how his parent taught him the importance of always believing in himself and how they instilled a sense of pride and confidence in him. He states his will was stronger than their skills; however, his will was tested even more when he retired and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Thirty-six years after winning an Olympic gold medal he carried the Olympic torch in Atlanta in the 1996 summer games. The deafening applause he …show more content…
This was very challenging because not only did my grades drop to a C or below but also my time was limited. I had goals of completing my classes with A’s so that I would qualify for open lunch in my senior year. I had no option but to cut out social time, sleep time and even quality time with my family to achieve my goal. I stayed behind two to three hours after school four days a week while functioning on less than five hours of sleep everyday. The stress was getting to me because I kept on forgetting what I had studied for my tests, which resulted in me failing a couple of tests. After two months of struggle and looking like a zombie everyday at school the finals come around. At this point, I knew if I score B or higher in all the finals I would accomplish my goal. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and I failed. I felt betrayed, but I remembered to stay positive and look for alternatives. I arranged an appointment with my counselor and she had advised me to attend summer school in order to reach my goal. Three weeks after school was dismissed for summer break, I came back to school to attend summer school. I finished the course and succeeded in reaching my goal. I still think I could’ve settled for less and convinced myself to give up hadn’t I worked hard and believed in …show more content…
Starting off I didn’t take the sport seriously; I always played it as a hobby and cared less about its rules. Practicing summer after summer I realized there is more to the game than just throwing the ball into the hoop. I then discovered books and online tutorial videos to help increase my intellect and skill of the game. In my sophomore year, I tried out for the first basketball team of my basketball career and unfortunately I was cut from the team on the last day of tryouts. I was disappointed in myself because I spent two hundred and fifty dollars on my basketball shoes and didn’t even get a chance to showcase them in an expedition game. I tried out again in my junior and again I was cut from the team, but this time my shoes weren’t that expensive so I spared myself a little

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