Top 100 Quotes & Sayings by Bruno Sammartino - Page 2

I am not a guy who can write speeches and when I speak I speak from the heart, I just say what I feel and what I believe in.

She was absolutely my hero. She would do without if she could help somebody else. My mom showed the courage of the lion to keep her kids alive, and the sacrifices she made were incredible. I don't know if I would have been man enough to do what she did.

The only thing I like about doing autograph shows is that the people who used to be fans are so wonderful. They'll come over and give such wonderful compliments.

Let's face it, I'm a has-been.

There were promises made to me as far as if I became a professional wrestler, that I was going to be given every opportunity to be a headliner... and that's the only reason why I accepted.

Franco Corelli is my favorite tenor.

Wrestling was my way of making a living. I did the very best I could.

I think people saw me as someone who was real, and not somebody subject to the criticism and ridicule given to my profession.

I really don't understand because I love opera, because I respect the Michelangelos and da Vincis, that it should be shocking because I am a wrestler. Because I am a wrestler does it mean that I am some kind of a robot who only knows to go into the squared circle and pound on somebody?

In Europe, I was just a little guy... the winters in the mountains were very nasty.

The things that Billy Graham says, I really have no idea why he says them. He talks about things without really knowing all the facts. I just think there's something wrong with the man.

In Argentina, in Brazil, I remember going to Australia, all the trips I did in Japan, you know how they'd advertise me? 'From Madison Square Garden, Bruno Sammartino.'

I work out about three hours a day, four days a week to keep in shape.

I didn't care if I was aching or hurting. I wanted to give the fans their money's worth.

Professional wrestling, when you're talking money, like they say, it's the root of all evil.

When it came to the Hall of Fame, I've been very critical of the direction they've taken and I'd feel like a hypocrite if I just accepted this Hall of Fame while I'm so against what they're doing.

I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but in the '60s and '70s, I don't know anybody who was known around the world like I was.

I held the title for almost eight years the first time and then I lost it at the Garden. But, then I came back and took it again for another four years.

My father bought a house in Panther Hollow. We were the first Italians in the neighborhood.

If people took the time to leave their homes and bought a ticket with their hard-earned cash to see me perform, the least I could do was give it everything I had every time out.

In my day, I, myself, in my prime, in the late-'50s-mid-'70s I was about 270-275. After I broke my neck and I was in the hospital for a month or so, I dropped the weight to about 250 and I kept that weight until I retired.

Honestly, when I left the business, in time, some people might remember you and some might say they knew the name. But, people move on and there are new interests and all kinds of different things go on all the time. So, it surprised me how people have not forgotten.

People are always asking me where they can get some of my matches on tapes and DVDs. The people always tell me they see me on Youtube or whatever.

For my fans around the world, I am pleased to be joining the WWE Hall of Fame, especially at Madison Square Garden.

I'm very violent in the ring. I don't know if it's the Italian temper, I can get very nasty in there. But outside, I'm the easiest-going guy in the world.

I very seldom look at wrestling magazines. Whenever I do, I get angry.

Kurt Angle, I knew he was from Pittsburgh and I knew his background very well and his amateur days and, of course, going to the Olympics and all that. When he went into professional wrestling, he was very good at adjusting and displaying a lot of great moves. It was something that the fans could look at a say, hey, that's wrestling.

I was in the business for almost a quarter of a century, and I'm very proud of my career.

After I retired, I spent a quarter of a century in the business, and when I retired and a new regime took over, Vince McMahon Jr. and that, and in the beginning I went back to help out. I color commentated with him, but then I started to see things that were disturbing to me.

Anybody who sees me in person will see the worst cauliflower ears I think you have ever seen.

What the heck did people see in me?

People have no clue how demanding my schedule was back in the day. There were times when I might be home for just one or two days a month.

Stan Hansen was a different ballgame. I broke my neck wrestling him in Madison Square Garden. I spent a month in the hospital and for a while it was touch and go because the doctors told me I came within a millimeter of being paralyzed from the neck down.

Listen, when I was real young, I thought I was made out of steel. I didn't think anything could hurt me, I was so powerful. But as time goes on, you find out you are not made of steel.

If I were to tell you that my day was all pure wrestling, I wouldn't be honest with you. Because there were crooked promoters. There were a lot of guys that knew that they couldn't even compete with other guys. But to suggest that every match was like that wouldn't be true.

I knew a little bit about training and what it took to transform your body into something impressive looking.

I would have loved to sing opera, but I have no voice. I used to sing along with records.

We lived off the land in Italy.

Throughout the '60s and '70s, I saw many operas in New York and Philadelphia. When people found out about that, they were always shocked, because I was a professional wrestler. Why are athletes any different than any other profession? People have many other interests.

Ivan Koloff was great. I had a lot of great matches with him.