The 2010s: 50 notable quotes of the decade

"I'm going to take my talents to South Beach."

"I'm a coach. I'm not Harry Potter."

"[I played better] when I was a drunk."

“I’ve made mistakes, I clearly did, but what I was hoping for was that some other dumb-ass would get on the front page and take me off the hook. I miss Lane Kiffin.”

“He had such a perfect life it seemed, all of a sudden he's human now, so I mean he is going to appear slightly less invincible to all the guys.” 

"We are not in a crisis. We are only in some difficulties and these will be solved."

"Don't even look at me. If I see you in the corridor, don't even walk past me. ... I get a code violation for expressing who I am, we're in America, last time I checked. ... you're totally out of control, you're a hater and you're just unattractive inside." 

"Tell them Rocky is fictitious - Joe was reality. Rocky's fists are frozen in stone. Joe's fists are smokin'. Rocky never faced Ali or Holmes or Foreman. Rocky never tasted his own blood. Champions are made in the ring, not in the movies. There deserves to be a statue of Joe Frazier in downtown Philadelphia."

“We stinks.”

“I don’t think people understand the nerves and the kind of mindset that fighters go through. I've stayed up nights not sleeping a wink because I know I’m going to fight someone the next day.” 

"I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall. I have fallen several times. Each time I just get up and I dust myself off and I pray and I'm able to do better." 

“I am more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. When all this is over, what are you left with?" 

"I did everything I wanted to. I finished my career the way I wanted to." 

“It’s what I came here to do. I’m now a legend, I’m the greatest athlete to live.” 

“I want everyone to look back and think I was awesome.” 

"I view this situation as one big lie that I repeated a lot of times." 

"We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER — you can use caps." 

"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."  

"This is our f****** city." 

“What I will remember most about Mr. Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge. He taught us forgiveness on a grand scale. His was a spirit born free, destined to soar above the rainbows. Today his spirit is soaring through the heavens. He is now forever free."

"I can wear heels." 

"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to? You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it ... and not to bring them to my games."

"Lewis can be as big as Muhammad Ali." 

"Yes, I feel that I won the races. I know that is not a popular answer, but the reality is that ... it was just a messy time. It was basically an arms race, and we all played ball that way."

“I mean he’s a dips—t. The way he races, I don’t know how he’s ever won a championship. I’m just sick and tired of it.” 

"You're boring and I want to get you out of the heavyweight division. You have about as much charisma as my underpants. Zero." 

"I didn't even get married in white." 

"It would be having a more open, honest relationship with my ex-wife." 

"Luckily, that amount of money doesn't sort of mean much to me anymore." 

"I'll be back."

"I've done lots of cocaine. Lots of it. That ain't a performance-enhancing drug." 

“I truly believe if they can’t get him help, he won’t live to see his 24th birthday.”

“And I’d just like to say, from the bottom of me heart, I’d like to take this chance to apologize … to absolutely nobody. The double champ does what the f--- he wants.” 

“Chemistry is not an exact science.”

“Keep the booing. That proves you’re an NHL city.” 

"Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one." 

“Some of the text messages I got were, ‘You have 2,100 more points to catch Gretzky.’ ” 

“Um, I can’t even get my dog to stop peeing in the house.” 

“Well, we have very little talent, actually. It was mostly coaching.” 

“You know, when I was with the Yankees and we won the world championship and you’re wearing the pinstripes, you think you are pretty cool. But then when you hang out with Jennifer, people confuse me as a security guard all the time.” 

“What are we going to tell him? Work on your keg stands?” 

“I feel better than winning a championship, to be honest with you. I swear I do.” 

“It’s not about male or female. You know the game, you know the game.” 

“I don’t have a lot of brain in my head, so it’s not that big of a deal for me.” 

"I thought I was going to come here and have a bunch of turds, and we don't." (He was fired in 2019.)

“It is the toughest loss I have ever had. It kills. It is terrible.” 

“You couldn't have had more drama than what we all had out there. Now we know why I'm balding -- this stuff is hard!" 

“Kawhi [Leonard] is the most like Jordan we’ve seen.”

“First of all, I don't understand why I always have to be the last." 

“I think that Roy would want everyone to know that people are not perfect. We are all imperfect and flawed in one way or another. We all struggle, but with hard work, humility and dedication, imperfect people still can have perfect moments.” (An autopsy revealed Halladay, who died in a 2017 crash of an aircraft he was piloting, had drugs in his system.)