Mike Tyson: Philosophy of a Spiritual Warrior

"... Eratosthenes says, as Favorinus quotes him, in the eighth book of his Universal History, that this philosopher, of whom we are speaking [Pythagoras], was the first [Greek] man who ever practised boxing in a scientific manner, in the forty-eighth Olympiad...." -- Diogenes Laertius, historian, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers: Pythagoras, 3rd century

"But you really have to look at the science of the situation." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, May 1st 2002

"Everybody says they believe in God but they don't do God's work. Everybody counteracts what God is really about." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, May 1st 2002

"Cus D'Amato was a physical person like I am. He was impulsive and impetuous like me. If somebody upset him, he would just go after them — even at 75. God, the psychologists would've had a field day with him." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, June 13th 2005

"You can disarm (people) with words. I probably have a 20,000 word vocabulary. I'll match my wits with anyone on literature, science, and the arts." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, June 13th 2005

"Listen, I got a imam, I got a rabbi, I got a priest, I got a reverend — I got 'em all. But I don't want to be holier-than-thou." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, June 13th 2005

"The past is a glorious moment. Isn't it? The past." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, 2007

"Cus was different with me than he was with his other fighters. Cus trained me to be totally ferocious in the ring and out." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, 2008

"Cus D'Amato would watch me for like, he didn't let me box he would just talk to me for like two or three weeks about fighting and the psychology of fighting and what fighting was truely about. Fighting was nothing physical it was all spiritual and he would say if you don't have the spiritual, spiritual warrior in you, you'll never be a good fighter, I don't care how big and strong you are. He explained that to me." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, 2008

"You know when I used to fight I used to look at myself as being some guy that faught some barbarian tribe or something. Some imperial leader. It was just really crazy stuff my mindset back then." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, 2008

"Well listen, I know it's gonna sound crazy but the guys that I most admired are guys like Sonny Liston and Jack Dempsey. Because out of all the fighters I watched them, not necessarily as a fighter, but I watched them when they came to the ring. I watched them. I read about their clippings before they fought. And what they had, and George Foreman did as well, but not like these two guys for some reason and that's why they're tied ... they had the ability to have a guy frozen in fear. Where a guy who was a great fighter could no longer perform at the height of his ability because he was so frozen in fear. And as I got older and I read around and I read these books ... and that's the art of war. Intimidation is the art of war. It's an art: intimidation. In intimidation ... you don't have to be a big guy to be intimidating. It's just a persona. It's a conduct in your character. Persona. How you conduct yourself." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, April 20th 2009

"He [Cus D'Amato] would be very disappointed if I felt some kind of emotion, compassion for somebody, especially if they were somebody with wealth. He said, 'They don't deserve any feelings. They deserve what they get.' ... He was really strange. That household was all about controlling your feelings." -- Michael J. Tyson, philosopher pugilist, October 2009