The line 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' was coined in 1964 by Ali's cornerman Drew 'Bundini' Brown and adopted by Muhammad Ali as his signature motto ahead of his title fight with Sonny Liston. Ali repeated it through his career, turning a ringside slogan into one of the most quoted sentences in sports history. It crossed into pop culture through interviews, documentaries and hip-hop lyrics, and today it survives as a staple of sports edits, motivational content and meme soundboards, instantly signalling confidence and showmanship.