December 23, 2025
We’re dead. We’re dust. We’re absolutely nothing.
Mike Tyson
A year ago I watched this video of Mike Tyson, asked by a 13 year old about the legacy he wants to leave (source). I’m just going to leave his response here. It says it all.
“I don't believe in the word legacy. I just think that's another word for ego. Legacy doesn't mean nothing. That's just some word everybody grabbed on to. Someone said that word and everyone grabbed on the word, so now it's used every five seconds. It means absolutely nothing to me.
“I'm just passing through. I'm going to die and it's going to be over. Who cares about legacy after that? What a big ego. I’m going to die, I want people to think that I'm this, I’m that. No, we’re nothing. We’re dead. We're dust, we’re absolutely nothing. Our legacy is nothing.
“Can you really imagine somebody saying, I want my legacy to be this way when I’m dead. You think they might want to think about you? You think I want people to think about me when I'm gone? Who the fuck cares about me when I'm gone? My kids maybe, my grandkids.”