he was placed on the path of his dreams by a white cop and he had teachers who wanted him to succeed. the olympic gold medal came and the world started to take notice. a group of successful businessmen in louisville, called the louisville sponsoring group, saw his potential and helped him build a runway to launch his career. his timing was impeccable, as he burst into the national stage. just as television was hungry for a star, to change the face of sports. you know, if muhammad didn't like the rules, he re-wrote them. his religion, his name, his beliefs were his to fashion, no matter what the cost. the timing of his actions coincided with a broader shift in cultural attitudes across america, particularly on college campuses. when he challenged the u.s. government on the draft, his chance of success was slim to

none. yet the timing of his decision converged with a rising tide of discontent on the war. public opinion shifted in his direction. followed by a unanimous supreme court ruling, and a stunning reversal of fortunes. he was free to return to the ring. when he traveled to central africa to reclaim his title from george foreman, none of the sports writers thought he could win. in fact, most of them feared for his life. but in what the africans call the miracle at 4:00 a.m., he became a champion once more. [ applause ] and as the years pass and though slowed by parkinson's, muhammad was compelled by his faith, to use his name and his notoriety to support the victims of

poverty and strife. he served as a u.n. messenger of peace and traveled to places like war-torn afghanistan. he campaigned as an advocate for reducing the yolk of third-world debt. he stunned the world when he secured the release of 15 hostages from iraq. [ applause ] as his voice grew softer, his message took on greater meaning. he came full circle with the people of his country. when he lit a torch that seemed to create new light in the 1996 olympics. [ applause ] muhammad always knew instinctively the road he needed to travel. his friends know what i mean when i say, he lived in the moment. he neither dwelled in the past, nor harbored anxiety about the future. muhammad loved to love, and he

loved to play practical jokes on just about everybody. he was sure-footed in his self-awareness, secure in his faith, and he did not fear death. yet his timing is once again poignant. his passing and its meaning for our time should not be overlooked. as we face uncertainty in a world and divisions at home, as to who we are as a people, muhammad's life provides useful guidance. muhammad was not one to give up on the power of understanding, the boundless possibilities of love, and the strength of our diversity. he counted among his friends people of all political persuasions, saw truth in all faiths, and the nobility of all races as witnessed here today. muhammad may have challenged his government, but he never ran from it, or from america.

[ applause ] he loved this country and he understood the hard choices that are born of freedom. i think he saw a nation's soul, measured by the soul of its people. for his part, he saw the good soul in everyone. and if you were one of the lucky ones to have met him, you know what i meant. he awoke every morning thinking about his own salvation and he would often say, i just want to get to heaven, and i've got to do a lot of good deeds to get there. and i think muhammad's hope is that his life provides some guidance on how we might achieve for all people, what we aspire for ourselves and our family. thank you. [ applause ]

>> ladies and gentlemen, miriam ali. >> peace be with you, everyone here. and on behalf of the ali family, i just want to say thank you to louisville, kentucky, all the love you've shown us in our lives has been unbelievable. also, i want to thank the entire globe. my father was loved all over. the processional today was overwhelming, but it was so beautiful. i just want to say, we love you, just like you love us. thank you very much. [ applause ] as you know, my father loved poetry, he was always rhyming and promoting his fights, and he had poems of the heart,

spiritual poems, and poems to promote. and i just wrote a piece for him, in honor of him, on behalf of my sisters and brothers and everyone who's loved my father, it's called, "thank you, our dear father." my heart was sore when your spirit soared. your physical body is no more. but my mind tells different tales of all that you taught me, your family, and the masses. most importantly, the belief in god who created humanity to thrive in quality. you fought for a purpose to uphold the principle that we as a people as divine human rights. staring right into the eyes of oppression, you proclaim your beautiful complexion, your god-given skills, your

independent will, and the freedom of your faith. as your daughter, i am grateful for all of our conversations about men, women, and relationships, guiding me to first have a loving relationship with self. refusing anyone to chip away at my esteem, and expect the respect of a queen. [ applause ] thank you, our dear father, for asking us to think about our purpose, and showing us the beauty of service to others. we marvelled at your sincere love for people, as you treated all who approached you with digni dignity. whether they were rich or poor, your kindness was unconditional. never perceiving anyone as beneath you. so many have shared personal

stories about what you have meant to them as you have exemplified values and qualities that have enhanced their lives. if i had every dollar for every story, i could paper the sky. your family is so proud of the legacy you left behind. but i hope that the history of you can help turn the tide of self-hate and violence. because we are overwhelmed with moments of silence for tragic deaths. [ applause ] here on the soil, american soil, in the middle east, or anywhere else in this world, we crave for peace. the peace that you rest in now. we will forever cherish the 74 years you graced this earth. you will be greatly missed, but now, we send you off in celebration, a blown kiss in

prayers, as you enter your final round. god's last boxing bell will sound in heaven. i love you. we all love you. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, rashida ali walsh. [ applause ] >> i'm -- we are so honored that you have packed this room with your love.

thank you all. [ applause ] thank you so much for being here today to celebrate our father. you were the greatest father to us and it was god's will to take you home. your family will try our best to make you proud and carry on your legacy of giving and love. you have inspired us and the world to be the best version of ourselves. may you live in paradise, free from suffering. you shook up the world in life. now you're shaking up the world in death. [ applause ] daddy's looking at us now right,

and saying, i told you i was the greatest! [ laughter ] no one compares to you, daddy. you once said, i know where i'm going, and i know the truth. and i don't have to be what you want me to be. i'm free to be who i am. [ applause ] now you are free to be with your creator. we love you so much, daddy. until we meet again, fly, butterfly, fly. [ applause ]

>> hello. my name is ali di nicola. i was born on muhammad ali's birthday. it was named after him. he used to call me the little greatest. we can all learn from muhammad example of kindness and understanding. when muhammad was asked how he would like to be determined, he said i'd like for them to say, he took a few cups of love, he took one tablespoon of patience, one teaspoon of generosity, one pint of kindness, he took one quart of laughter, one pinch of concern and mixed willingness with happiness. he added lots of faith and he

stirred it up well. then he spread it over a span of a lifetime, and he served it to each and every deserving person he met. thank you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, natasha wikkur. >> before i begin, i would just like to say that i am truly humbled and honored to be here. and i will like to thank the muhammad ali center and the ali family for giving me the opportunity to speak and to echo the voice that muhammad has given me.

so let me tell you a story about a man. a man who refused to believe that reality was limitation to achieve the impossible. a man who once reached up through the pages of a textbook and touched the heart of an 8-year-old girl, whose reflection of herself mirrored those who cannot see past the color of her skin. but instead of drawing on that pain from the distorted reality, she found strength, just as this man did, when he stood tall in the face of pelting rain and shouted, "i am the disturbance in the sea of your complacency, and i will never stop shaking your waves." [ applause ]

and his voice echoed through hers, through mine. and she picked up the rocks that were thrown at her and she threw them back with a voice so powerful that it turned all the pain that she had faced in her life into strength and tenacity. and now that 8-year-old girl stands before you to tell you that ali's cry still shakes these waves today. [ applause ] that we are to find strength in our identities, whether we are black or white or asian or

health calgbt, disabled or abled, muslim, hindu, jewish or christian. his cries represents those who have not been heard and invalidates the idea that we are to be con formed to one normative standard. [ applause ] that is what it means to defeat the impossible. because impossible is not a fact. impossible is an opinion. impossible is nothing. [ applause ] when i look into this crowd, i smile. i smile to recognize that he is not really gone. he lives in you, and he lives in me, and he lives in every person

that he has touched in every corner of this world. [ applause ] reality was never a limitation for ali, for us. just as every punch his opponents threw, impossible is never enough to knock us down, because we are ali. [ applause ] we are greater than the rocks or the punches that we throw at each other. we have the ability to empower and inspire and to connect and to unify and that will live on forever. so let me tell you a story about

a man, his name is muhammad ali. he is the greatest of all time. [ applause ] he is from louisville, kentucky, and he lives in each and every one of us. [ applause ] and his story is far from over. thank you. [ applause ]

>> ladies and gentlemen, john ramsey. >> first of all, on behalf of my fellow louisvillians, to the ali family, we offer our condolences, our heart felt prayers, and for lonnie ali, a very special prayer. we know that muhammad was blessed with many gifts, but none more precious than lonnie ali, and we thank you so much. you know, i've got to tell you, louisville, when i was in the procession today and i saw the tens of thousands of people and all the warmth and the love and the respect that was shown for muhammad, i gotta tell you, my heart swelled with pride. i know he was watching from above and i know he absolutely loved it. but i don't think he'd be surprised. i think muhammad would say, louisville, kentucky, the greatest city of all times, i'm

feeling good, man! how can we lose with the stuff we use? [ laughter ] i'm feeling so good, i think i'mma make a comeback and change my name back to walnut street. that's how good i feel. you know, for me, i always felt connected to muhammad, even before i'd met him. maybe it was the fact that i was a louisville boy. maybe it's the fact that i love the louisville cardinals, like muhammad. [ applause ] you know, but as our relationship evolved, i found that a lot of people felt this personal connection with muhammad. and that's part of the ali magic. you know what, initially for a lot of men my age and certainly myself, it was the athlete that i was attracted to. i mean, that kind of size, that kind of speed, agility, that grace, not only made him heavyweight champion of the world three times, but it made

him "sports illustrated" sportsman of the century, the a.p. athlete of the century. certainly it made him the athlete -- a once in a lifetime athlete. but i would argue that the combination of compassion, kindness, love, and the ability to lift us up made him a once in a lifetime person. you know, muhammad was blessed with many gifts, as i said, and he was a wise and faithful steward of those gifts. there's many stories about muhammad, but there's a couple that really encapsulate what he was all about. i remember back in 2000, i made a trip to the summer olympics with muhammad, and one day he decided we were going to go see a boxing match. and i remember, we're ringside, the american wins. 15,000 people are chanting "usa,

usa." and i thought, this is my olympic moment, filled with pride, the boxer came down from the ring to take pictures, there were thousands of people cheering for muhammad and this victorious fighter. and muhammad leaned down to me and whispered in my here, said, i want to see the loser. i said excuse me? said, i want to see the loser. so i motioned to an official, muhammad wants to see the loser. so we get to the losing locker room, and there's not tens of thousands of people. just a kid in a corner on a stool, got a towel in his neck, blood under his eye. this has got to be the lowest point of his athletic career at the very least. felt like he let down his country, he's defeated, and the vibe in that room was literally the lowest of low.

but then when muhammad walks in, this kid recognizes him instantly and in broken english, he says muhammad ali! and muhammad started dancing, said, show me what you got. and muhammad started throwing out jabs, and this kid starts ducking and jabbing. mohammed grabs him in a bear hug and said, i saw you out there, you looked good, you can be a champion. don't give up. it warmed my heart to see how he took this kid from here to here in an instant. [ applause ] and i remember, i got in the car and i said to muhammad, i try to be a nice guy, but i've got to tell you, i was caught up in the moment, i didn't give that losing fighter a second thought. i said, muhammad, you're the greatest. muhammad said, tell me something i don't already know. [ laughter and applause ] but what i don't want people to

forget, no doubt to me, is the finest example of a human that i've ever seen, the finest example of a great human being that i've ever seen, of the kindness that a human possesses, that was muhammad ali. but don't forget about this. muhammad was the coolest cat in the room. i mean, he was good looking, he had charm, he had charisma. he had swagger before we knew what swagger was. [ laughter ] i remember, went to -- it was 25 years ago. he came in town to visit his mother, wanted to go to outback steakhouse. had a friend there who was a big muhammad fan. at the time in louisville there was a firemen's convention. they all had their engine numbers on their shirt. these guys line up for an autograph. i said to muhammad, i said, if you like, i'll play the bad guy. i'll tell them to let you eat

and you'll sign later. he would have none of it. he's taking bites and signing. this one guy walks up, he knew muhammad, he was scared to death, all this adrenaline flowing. he said i saw your stance against the vietnam war, he said, i've got to tell you, champ, you're my hero. muhammad instantly wanted to change the channel. he said to the guy, you the real hero, jumping in saving lives, saving babies, putting yourself on the line. he said, you the real hero. and the fireman responded, you fought the bear sonny liston, the rabbit patterson, big george foreman, you fought smoking joe frazier. and muhammad interrupted him and said, but joe wasn't really smoking. [ laughter ] i said, muhammad that's a good line. he said, you're right, write

that down. but it wasn't all about signing autographs and kissing babies. there was a village that needed food in a third world country. muhammad was on plane, will travel, with check. if there was a conflict and he could be part of a resolution, again, muhammad will travel. as lonnie had mentioned, if there were hostages to be released, muhammad was a man of action. one of my favorite quotes and i think it's right here in your program, muhammad said service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. and i just want to say, champ, your rent is paid in full. your rent is paid in full. [ applause ] your rent is paid in full! you know, in fact, i think he's paid it forward. because he's taught us to love,

rather than to hate, to look for commonalities, rather than differences. so therefore, i think he's really paid it forward for all of us. so as we all know now, you know, the fight is over, but i'm here to tell you, the decision is in, it is unanimous. because of muhammad ali, we all win. the world wins. thank you so much, muhammad. [ applause ] it is time for a man of peace to rest in peace. and thank you so very much. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, billy crystal.

[ applause ] >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen. we're at the halfway point. [ laughter ] i was clean shaven when this started. dear lonnie, family, friends, mr. president, members of the clergy, all these amazing people here in louisville -- [ applause ] today, this outpouring of love and respect proves that 35 years after he stopped fighting he is still the champion of the world. last week, when we heard the news, time stopped. there was no war, there were no

terrorists, no global catastrophes, the world stopped, took a deep breath and sighed. since then, my mind has been racing through my relationship with this amazing man, which is now 42 years that i know him. every moment i can think of is cherished and while others can tell you of his accomplishments, he wanted me to speak and tell you of some personal moments that we had together. i met him in 1974. i was just getting started as a stand-up comedian and struggling, but i had one good routine. it was a three-minute conversation between howard cosell and muhammad ali, where i would imitate both of them. ali had just defeated george moreman and retained the heavyweight title. dick schaap was the editor and he was going to host this televised dinner honoring muhammad ali. dick called my agent, looking for a commeendian who did some sports material. as fate would have it, that

comedian was not available and she wisely said, it's destiny, man. she wisely said, i got this young kid, and he does this great imitation of ali and cosell, he'd be perfect. i don't know why, but dick said, okay, i'll try him. if he stinks, i can cut him out of the show. i couldn't believe it. my first time on television, and it would be with ali. i arrived at the plaza hotel, the event was jammed. i met with mr. schaap. he said, how should i introduce you? nobody knows who you are. and i said, "just say one of ali's closest and dearest friends." and my thought was, i'll get right to the microphone, go into the howard cosell and i'll be fine. i nervously moved into the jammed ballroom and that's when i saw him for the first time in person. it's very hard to describe how

much he meant to me. you had to live in his time. it's great to look at clips and it's amazing that we have them. but to live in his time, watching his fights, experiencing the genius of his talent was absolutely extraordinary. every one of his fights was an aura of a super bowl. he did things nobody would do. he predicted the round he would knock somebody out in, and then he would do it! he was funny. he was beautiful. he was the most perfect athlete you ever saw, and those were his own words. [ laughter ] but he was so much more than a fighter as time went on. with bobby kennedy gone, martin luther king gone, malcolm x gone, who was there to relate to when vietnam exploded in our face? there were millions of young men my age, eligible for the draft, for a war that we didn't believe in. all of us huddled on the conveyor belt that was feeding

the war machine. but it was ali who stood up for us by standing up for himself. and after he was stripped of the title, after he was stripped of the title, and the right to fight anywhere in the world, he gave speeches at colleges, and on television that totally reached me. he seemed as comfortable talking to kings and queens as the lost and unrequited. he never lost his sense of humor, even as he lost everything else. he was always himself. willing to give up everything for what he believed in. and his passionate rhetoric, about the life and pride of black people in our country resonated strongly in my house. i grew up in a house dedicated to civil rights. my father was one of the first to integrate bands in the '40s and 'fir50s. he was referred to as the branch ricky of jazz. my uncle and my family, jewish people, produced "strange fruit," describing the lynching

of african americans in this country. so i felt him, and now there he was, just a few feet from me. i couldn't stop looking at him. and he seemed to be in slow motion, his amazing face, smiling and laughing. i was seated a few seats from him. and all of these athletes, geno marquettey of the baltimore colts, archie griffin, who won the heisman from ohio state, literary legends, neil simon, george plimpton, fawning over ali, who then looked at me -- [ laughter ] -- with an expression that seemed to say, what is joel gray doing here? mr. schaap introduced me as one of ali's closest and dearest friends. two people clapped. my wife and the agent. [ laughter ] i rose, ali's still staring at

me, i pass right behind him, got to the podium, went right into the cosell. hello, everyone, howard cosell coming to you live from zaire. some would pronounce it zaire, they're wrong. it got big laughs. and then i went into the ali. everybody's talking about george foreman, talking about george foreman. he's ugly, he's so slow. then i rope-a-dope george and i'm still fast at 33 years of age. i'm so fast i can turn out the lights and be in my bed before the room gets dark. howard, i'm announcing tonight that i got new religious beliefs. from now on, i want to be known as izzy iska wiz. i'm an orthodox ju, izzy iska wiz, i am the greatest of all time!

[ laughter ] the audience exploded. see, no one had ever done him before. and here i was, a white kid from long island, imitating the greatest of all time, and he was loving it. and when i was done, he gave me this big bear hug, and he whispered in my ear, you're my little brother. [ laughter ] which is what he always called me until the last time that i saw him. we were always there for each other. if he needed me for something, i was there. he came to anything i asked him to do. most memorable, he was an honorary chairman for a dinner at a very important event where i was being honored by the hebrew university in jerusalem. he did all of the promotion. he came to the dinner, sat with my family for the entire evening. he took photographs with everybody. the most famous muslim man in the world, honoring his jewish friend and -- [ applause ] because he was there, because he was there, we raised a great

deal of money. and i was able to use it to endow the university in jerusalem with something that i told him about. and it was something that he loved the theory of. and it thrives to this day. it's called peace through the performing arts. it's a theater group where israeli, arab, and palestinian actors, writers, and directors all work together in peace, creating original works of art. [ applause ] and that doesn't happen without him. i had so many -- so many funny, unusual moments with him. i sat next to him at howard cosell's funeral. a very somber day, to be sure. closed casket was on the stage. muhammad and i were sitting somewhere over there next to each other. and he quietly whispered to me, little brother, do you think he's wearing his hair piece?

[ laughter ] so i said, i don't think so. well, then how will god recognize him? so i said, champ, once he opens his mouth, god will know. so we started laughing. it was a muffled laugh at first, but then we couldn't contain ourselves. here we were at a funeral, me with muhammad ali, laughing like two little kids who heard something dirty in church. then he looked at me and he whispered, howard was a good man. one time he asked me if i would like to run with him one morning. i said that would be amazing. i run at this country club, i run on the golf course early in the morning, it's very private.

i said, champ, i can't run there. the club has a reputation for being restricted. what does restricted mean? they don't allow jews there, they don't have any jews there. he was incensed. i'm a black muslim and they let me run there. little brother, i'm never gonna run there again, and he didn't. [ applause ] my favorite memory perhaps was 1979. he had just retired and there was a retirement party at the forum los angeles, for muhammad and 20,000 of his closest friends in los angeles. i performed a piece that i had created, the imitation had grown into a life story, it's called 15 rounds. and i play him from the age of 18 until he's 36, ready for the rematch with leon spinks. i posted it on the internet last week. footage that nobody had ever seen before of me portraying i

ali, doing his life for him, all those years ago in 1979. there were 20,000 people there. but i was doing it only for him. it's one of my favorite performances that i've ever done in my life. i sort of got lost in him. i didn't even know where i was at the end of the performance. and suddenly i'm backstage with another heavyweight champion, richard pryor. and he's holding on to me crying, and then i see ali crying and he's got a full head of steam. and he's looking only at me, and he nudged mr. pryor aside, and he whispered in my ear, little brother, you made my life better than it was. but didn't he make all of our lives a little bit better than they were? [ applause ] that, my friends, is my history with a man i've labored to come

up with a way to describe the legend. he was a tremendous bolt of lightning, created by mother nature out of thin air, a fantastic combination of power and beauty. we've seen still photographs of lightning bolts at the moment of impact, ferocious in strength, magnificent in its elegance. and at the moment of impact, it lights up everything around it. so you can see everything clearly. muhammad ali struck us in the middle of america's darkest night, in the heart of its most threatening gathering storm. his power toppled the mightiest of foes and his intense light shined on america, and we were able to see clearly in justice, in equality, poverty, pride, self-realization, courage, laughter, love, joy, and religious freedom for all. ali forced us to take a look at ourselves, this brash young man who thrilled us, angered us, confused and challenged us,

ultimately became a silent messenger of peace, who taught us that life is best when you build bridges between people, not walls. [ applause ] my friends, my friends, only once in a thousand years or so do we get to hear a mozart or see a picasso, read a shakespeare. ali was one of them. and yet, at his heart, he was still a kid from louisville who ran with the gods and walked with the crippled and smiled at the foolishness of it all. he is gone but he will never die. he was my big brother. thank you. [ applause ]

>> ladies and gentlemen, bryant gumbel. -- gumble. >> the great maya angelou, who was herself no stranger to fame, wrote that ultimately people forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but that no one will ever forget how you made them feel. as applied to muhammad ali, the

march of time may one day diminish his boasts and his poetry, maybe even his butterflies and bees. it may even one day dull the memories of the thrilla in manila, and the rumble in the jungle. but i doubt any of us will ever forget how muhammad ali made us feel. we're not talking about how proud he made you feel with his exploits, or how special he made you feel when you were privileged enough to be in his company. i'm talking about how he gripped our hearts and our souls, and our conscience, and made our fights his fights for decades.

people like me who were once young, semi- gifted, and black, will never forget what he freed within us. some of us like him took pride in being black, bold, and brash. and because we were so una apologetic, we were in the eyes of many way too upity. we were way too arrogant. yet, we revelled in being like him. by stretching society's boundaries as he did, he gave us levels of strength and courage we didn't even know we had. but ali's impact was not limited to those of a certain race. or of a certain religion. or of a certain mind-set. the greatness of this man for

the ages was that he was, in fact, a man for all ages. has any man ever scripted a greater art to his life? what does it say of a man, any man, that he can go from being viewed as one of his country's most polarizing figures, to arguably its most beloved. [ applause ] and to do so without changing his nature o for a second compromising his principles. yeah, you know, there were great causes, there were great national movements, there were huge divisions that afforded ali unusual opportunities to symbolize our struggles. but harry truman had it right,

when he said, men make history, and not the other way around. or as lauren hill so nicely put it, consequence is no coincidence. befitting his stature as the g.o.a.t., muhammad ali never shied away from a fight. he fought not just the biggest and baddest men of his day inside the ropes, but outside the ring he also went toe to toe with an array of critics, a seemingly endless succession of societal norms, the architects of a vile, immoral war, the u.s. government. he even fought ultimately to his detriment the limitations of father time. strictly speaking, fighting is

what he did. but he broadened that definition by sharing his struggles with us and by viewing our struggles as his. and so it was that at various times he accepted and led battles on behalf of his race, in support of his generation, in defense of his religious beliefs. and ultimately in spite of his disease. i happen to have been overseas, working in norway this past week. my buddy matt called, told me the champ had been taken to the hospital, and that this time, it was really serious. right away, i called lonnie, who was, as always, a pillar of

strength. and as we discussed the medical details, the doctor's views, and the ugly realities of mortality, lonnie said, bryant, the world still needs him. and indeed it does. the world needs a champion who always worked to bridge the economic and social divides that threaten the nation that he dearly loved. the world needs a champion that always symbolized the best of islam to offset the hatred born of fear. and the world needs a champion who believed in fairness and inclusion for all. hating people because of their color is wrong, ali said. and it doesn't matter which color does the hating. it's just plain wrong.

[ applause ] yeah, we do need muhammad ali now. we need the strength and the hope, the compassion, the conviction, that he always demonstrated. but this time our beloved champion is down. and for once he'll not get up. not this time. not ever again. let me close with a quick personal story. 50 years ago, muhammad ali defeated george trafalo in toronto, canada. the very next day, he showed up in my hyde park neighborhood on the south side of chicago. as ali got out of a car in the

driveway of the home of elijah mohammed, i happened to be next door, shooting hoops in a friend's backyard. i of course quickly ran to the fence and for the first time in [ applause ] to be standing here by virtue of

his and lonnie's request, the honor that ali has done me today, as he goes to his grave is one that i will take to mine. god bless you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the 42nd president of the united states, the honorable william jefferson clinton. [ applause ] >> thank you. i can just hear muhammad saying

now, well, i thought i should be eulogized by at least one president. by making you last in a long, long, long, line i guaranteed you a standing ovation. i'm trying to think of what has listen left unsaid. first, lonnie, i thank you and the members of the family for telling me that he actually, as bryant, said given me chance to come here. i thank you for what you did to make the second half of his life greater than the first. [ applause ] i thank you for the muhammad ali

center and what it has come to represent to so many people. here's what i'd like to say. i spend a lot of time now, as i get older and older and older trying to figure out what makes people tick, how do they turn out the way they are, how does some people refuse to become victims and rise from every defeat. we've all seen the beautiful pictures of the home muhammad ali was a boy and people visiting and driving by. i think he decided something i hope every young person here will decide.

i think he decided very young to write his own life story. [ applause ] i think he decided before i could have possibly worked it all out and before fate and time could work their will on him, he decided that he would not be ever disempowered. he decided that not his grace nor his place nor the expectations of others, positive, negative or otherwise would strip from him the power to write his own story. he decided first to use these stunning gifts. his strength and speed in the ring. his wit and way with words in

managing the public and his mind and heart to figure out at a fairly young age who he was, what he believed and how to live with the consequences of acting on what he believed. a lot of people make it to steps one and two and still just can't quite manage living with consequences of what he believed. for the longest time, in spite of all the wonderful things that's been said here, i remember thinking when i was a kid, this guy is so smart and he never got credit for being as smart as he was. then i don't think he ever got the credit, until later, as wise

as he was. in the end, besides being a lot of fun to be around and basically a universal soldier for our common humanity, i will always think of muhammad as a truly free man of faith. being man of faith he realized he would never be in full control of his life. something like parkinson's could come along, but being free, he realized that life was still open to choices. it is the choices that muhammad ali made that have brought us all here today in honor and love. [ applause ] the only other thing i'd like to

say, i think we all need to really, really think about, as the first part of his life was dominated by the triumph of his truly unique gifts. we should never forget them. we should never stop looking at the movies. we should thank will smith for making his movie. we should all be thrilled that it was a thing of beauty. the second part of his life was more important because he refused to be imprisoned by a disease that kept him hand strung longer than nelson mandela was kept in prison in south africa. in the second half of his life, he perfected gifts that we all

have every single solitary one of us have gifts of mind and heart. it's just that he found a way to release them in ways large and small. i asked lonnie, she remembered a time when they were still living in michigan and i gave a speech in southwest michigan. it was economic club there and sort of a ritual when a president leaves office and you had to get reactivated. nobody plays a song when you walk in a room anymore. y you don't really know what you're supposed to do. this club, i think it's called the economic club. they're used to acting like you still deserve to be listened to and you got to get reacclimated. they came to dinner, and sat with me at this dinner. he knew, somehow he knew, that i

was little off my feet that night. i was trying to imagine how to make this new life. he told me a really bad joke. he told it so well, and he laughed so hard, that i totally got over it and had a great time. he had that feel about, you know, there's no textbook for that, knowing where somebody else in their head. picking up the body language. then lonnie, and muhammad got me to come here when we had a innovation of the muhammad ali center. i was trying to be dignified, i got to elevate this guy. i'm saying all this stuff in very high tone language and

muhammad sneaks up behind me and puts his fingers up. finally, after all the years we've been friend, my enduring image of him is like a little reel in three shots. the boxer i thrilled to as a boy. the man i watched take the last steps to light the olympic flame when i was president. [ applause ] i'll never forget it. i was sitting there in atlanta. by then we knew each other. i was still weeping like a baby seeing his handshake and his legs shake and knowing by god he was going to