I expect that [trying to do the best] of my players today and of my kids. My wife says I shouldn't expect that of my children, but I don't think that's asking too much.

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

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

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.

With my eyes closed, I would touch a familiar book and draw its fragrance deep inside me. This was enough to make me happy.

The world won't be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.

Look outside of what is possible and think about what could be.

People often ask if one day mankind attains immortality, how he will be able to get rid of the eternal boredom problem? The answer is this: By embarking on eternal adventures!

Family and moral values are so central to everything that I am.

Only an armed people can be truly free. Only an unarmed people can ever be enslaved.

If you want to see the girl next door, go next door.

I feel like I have a skill set, but every experience is different and there's always room for improvement.

When you give me something that I love, then I spend a long time drilling down on it and figuring out what it is I love about it.

We've got to maintain freedom of navigation of the seas and in the air.