Be anything you want to be, but don't be dull.

Close don't count in baseball. Close only counts in horseshoes and grenades.

It's nice to come into a town and be referred to as the manager of the Cleveland Indians instead of as the first black manager.

Whether you're trying to excel in athletics or in any other field, always practice. Look, listen, learn - and practice, practice, practice. There is no substitute for work, no shortcut to the top.

I always tried to do the best. I knew I couldn't always be the best, but I tried to be.

I don't see why you reporters keep confusing Brooks (Robinson) and me. Can't you see that we wear different numbers.

If the guys on the bench were as good as the guys you have out there, they'd be out there in first place.

Managers don't have as much leverage as they used to have. We can't really be the boss.

I had no trouble communicating, the player's just didn't like what I had to say.

The fan is the one who suffers. He cheers a guy to a .350 season then watches that player sign with another team. When you destroy fan loyalties, you destroy everything.

You have to have a short memory as a closer.

Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God.

No rock so hard but that a little wave may beat admission in a thousand years.

Curses of vanished elders echoed down on me; too pretty, too soft, too pale, eyes far too full of the Devil, ah, that devilish smile

Faces are the most interesting things we see

My old man is drunker than a barrel full of monkeys, but my old lady she don't care.

We had not had time to establish ourselves as a double act before Ernie joined the Merchant Navy. I teamed up with the brother of the late Dave Morris.

Learn from your mistakes, trying to figure out what the best way to go forward is.

We gotta show up tomorrow ready to eat somebody's face.

Earn the right to be proud and confident.

I tell you one thing - if you want peace of mind, don not fault with others.