When I started boxing, people laughed at me and said, 'What can

In the words of Mary Kom, the warrior from the hills of Manipur, “When I started boxing, people laughed at me and said, ‘What can women do in boxing?’ I took it as a challenge. If men can do it, why can’t women? And I became a world champion before my marriage.” These words are not merely the reflection of one athlete’s struggle—they are the cry of all who have been doubted, scorned, or told to stay within the boundaries set by others. In her voice is the fire of defiance, the courage to answer mockery with victory, and the determination to show that limits are illusions.

The ancients would have understood her spirit well. For in every age, heroes arise who are mocked before they are celebrated, ridiculed before they are crowned. The laughter of her doubters was like the laughter that greeted the young David when he stood before Goliath, armed not with armor but with faith. Just as David’s sling shattered the giant, so did Mary Kom’s fists shatter the walls of doubt. The question, “What can women do in boxing?” was answered not with words, but with triumph, with titles, with the glory of becoming a world champion.

Her struggle was not only against opponents in the ring, but against the weight of tradition and expectation. In her society, as in many others, women were often told what they could not do. Yet she chose to ask the greater question: “If men can do it, why can’t women?” This question is not only hers; it is the anthem of every woman who has sought to enter the halls of power, the fields of battle, the laboratories of discovery, or the arenas of sport. It is the question that shakes thrones and changes history.

History offers us another tale. In ancient China, Hua Mulan disguised herself as a man to take her father’s place in battle. She fought with valor, and though she wore the guise of a son, her courage was wholly her own. Like Mary Kom, she proved that courage, endurance, and strength are not bound by gender. Both women show us that the true measure of worth lies not in whether one is male or female, but in the fire that burns within the heart.

Mary Kom’s words also remind us that success is sweetest when it is forged in defiance of doubt. To be told “you cannot” is to be given the chance to answer with “I will.” This is the essence of the challenge she embraced. It is the eternal rhythm of struggle and triumph: the world resists, the hero persists, and in the end, the impossible becomes inevitable. Her story proves that mockery is often the first step on the road to greatness.

The lesson for us is clear: let no voice of doubt bind your spirit. When told you cannot, let it fuel your will to prove that you can. When mocked, remember that laughter fades, but victory endures. If you are a woman told that certain paths are closed, recall Mary Kom’s fists breaking barriers. If you are a man told your dream is too bold, remember that all who change the world are first ridiculed. Doubt is the furnace; determination is the sword it tempers.

Practical actions follow from her wisdom. Face mockery with resolve, not retreat. Seek challenges instead of fearing them, for in challenge lies transformation. Train with discipline and patience, knowing that greatness is not won in a single day but through years of struggle. And above all, ask the forbidden questions—why not me? why not now? why not here?—for such questions are the keys that unlock the gates of destiny.

Thus, the words of Mary Kom are more than testimony; they are a call to arms for all who are underestimated. She shows us that victory belongs not to those who are permitted, but to those who dare. Her life is proof that laughter from others can become applause, and that a woman world champion can rise from the very soil where people once said, “What can women do?” Let this truth be carried forward: the only limits that endure are the ones we refuse to challenge.