Quotes that should be on boxing gym walls.

If you have ever visited a boxing gym, you will have noticed at least one quote stenciled somewhere on the walls. This one by Mohammed Ali is pretty common

— ‘I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion’.’

It’s fascinating how boxing gyms like to transmit the words and not just the techniques of the champions. I believe this quote got me closer to my full potential when I realised I could decide to suffer, go all out, and win. Until that point I might have been holding a part of myself back, and this showed me how to put everything on the line.

This got me to thinking, what other quotes should be on the walls of boxing gyms that you don’t normally find? How about this one by Richard Feynman.

“ The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool”

Richard Feynman was a mid-twentieth century physicist with varied scientific accomplishments, from quantum mechanics, the development of the atom bomb, the space shuttle challenger disaster, and he was a renowned public communicator. He was not a fighter, as far as I know, but we can see the clear message for boxers in what he said.

On the bag, in the gym, or in the ring, it is easy to fool yourself. Is your jabbing hand too low because you think your reflexes are invincible; are you taking it easy in the cardio rounds when no-one is looking; do you have a ready excuse when you lose in sparring? The greatest fighters are often said to be adaptable, and adapting to what you are doing wrong is most important. Which is to say: don’t lie to yourself. If you can develop the skill of spotting your own lies, you can correct your faults. Then you have two teachers, including one that can correct you while you are actually fighting. If instead you retain your hangups and refuse to see yourself as you really are, you will fool yourself again and again. And fools tend to get their comeuppance in the ring. Think of an example of a fighter who lied to themselves a bit too convincingly. Easy, isn’t it.

When you cease fooling yourself, it will massively help your boxing, I assure you, more than the next run or weights session. That’s why Feynman’s quote should appear in gyms next to the ring, the heavy bag, and – most importantly – the mirror.