“I’d like to take a course in writing. I’m not the best writer in the world. I’d like to write more neatly, even though people don’t send many handwritten letters these days.”

I’m really excited about my future plans, as I’m doing things differently and currently training like a Trojan in pursuit of becoming heavyweight champion of the world.

I’m not even scared of the devil. If the devil confronted me, I’d confront him as well.

For me, it’s about being a star, being a superstar, and not just winning a world title but becoming the best-ever British fighter this country has ever had. That’s what I am, and that’s what I intend to do.

All my people are from Ireland. I was born in Manchester, but I am Irish.

I’ve got a tidy chin and a decent punch. And, for people who think they can fight and are champions, I’ll make it extremely hard.

I’ve challenged Cain Velasquez to a fight three times. He’s a little boy who doesn’t want to fight. He said no, live on TV.

My mum had 14 pregnancies – but only four of us survived. We had a little sister born for a few days and she died. There had to be a funeral.

If ever you want to get rid of somebody you don’t want to talk to, just mention God. They’re out of there.

I’ve got an outspoken personality, which gets people thinking, and my style of fighting is aggressive. Everything’s on the line all the time. In my fights, there’s drama.

Every time I stray away from the Lord’s word, I find emptiness and darkness.

I was always quite good at fixing and working with cars. My dad’s always dealt cars, and I’ve always been brought up around them. They’re one of the things I’ve always been interested in.

Whatever is conventional, I am the opposite. So if you want to walk in a straight line, I am going to walk in zigzags. If you want to throw a 1-2, I’ll throw a 2-1.

Whether someone like Klitschko wins, loses, draws, or gets knocked out in five seconds, he is still a big name.

There’s lots of sins in this life. We’re all sinners. If you don’t believe in God and you don’t believe in the scriptures, then we are on a different page.

I’m a little bit backward. I didn’t really go to school.

You can take a man out of Ireland, but you can’t take the Irishness out of the man.

Invest in basic research and recruit the best minds.

When they called me with the Nobel call from Secretary General of the Swedish Academy it was twenty minutes to six and he said well that was well hope I’m not disturbing you but I am the Secretary General of the Swedish Academy.

The best thing about Berlin was that I got to be surrounded by people who pursue their ideas for themselves.

The worst in life, we are told, is compatible with the best in art. So too the worst in life is compatible with the best in humour.

Where the sky begins, the horizon ends, despite the best intentions.

Don’t do your best, do whatever it takes.

Negotiating means getting the best of your opponent.

Life is a great and noble calling, not a mean and grovelling thing to be shuffled through as best as we can but a lofty and exalted destiny.