20 Great Baseball Quotes That Apply to Life

Baseball is a game of superstition. Perhaps it's in recognition of the fact that talent and athleticism, while important, plays a much smaller role than in other major sports. It's a game where anything can happen. On a given weekend with a hot streak at their back, the worst team in baseball can sweep the best in a three-game series. That's far less likely in basketball and would be in football if they played series. In those sports, a superior team often dominates and would likely do the same over multiple games.

This makes baseball like life. Talent, skill, execution, and luck all play a role in any success. No one rolls through a season undefeated or by winning three-quarters of their games.Because of this baseball players often double as philosophers to deal with quirks of their sport and to inspire.

Here a 20 pieces of baseball philosophy to inspire you today. May they keep you on track during the turbulent road toward your dreams. For what describes baseball, describes life.

  1. No matter how good you are, you’re going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you’re going to win one-third of your games. It’s the other third that makes the difference. ~Tommy Lasorda

  2. Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. ~Babe Ruth

  3. Talent may get you on the field, but it's effort and attitude that will keep you there. ~Ken Griffey, Jr.

  4. It ain't over 'til it's over. ~Yogi Berra

  5. If you have a bad day in baseball, and start thinking about it, you will have 10 more. ~Sammy Sosa

  6. It's hard to beat a person who never gives up. ~Babe Ruth

  7. When they knock you down, you not only have to get up, but you have to make it clear that you won't be knocked down a second time. ~Carl Yaztrzemski

  8. Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again. That’s the way life is, with a new game every day, and that’s the way baseball is. ~Bob Feller

  9. You've got to love training and practice. It's the only way to reach your potential. ~Bryce Harper

  10. You can’t be afraid to make errors! You can’t be afraid to be naked before the crowd, because no one can ever master the game of baseball, or conquer it. You can only challenge it. ~Lou Brock

  11. Never allow the fear of striking out to keep you from playing the game. ~Babe Ruth

  12. There may be people that have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do. ~Derek Jeter

  13. My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging. ~Henry Aaron

  14. I take positives out of negatives all the time. ~David Wright

  15. I don't believe in curses, I think you make your own destination. ~Manny Ramirez

  16. Ain’t no man can avoid being born average, but there ain’t no man got to be common. ~Satchel Paige

  17. I became an optimist when I discovered that I wasn't going to win any more games by being anything else. ~Earl Weaver

  18. If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.~Yogi Berra

  19. You can't steal second with your foot on first. ~Tony Robbins

  20. Be on time. bust your butt. Play smart. And have some laughs while you're at it. ~Whitey Hertzog

Take the field. Play the whole nine innings, more if necessary. Know that the road to your dreams is a long season with slumps and streaks that is eventually won by the most persistent.

Ray