Quotes by Branch Rickey

Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself, but for me the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of the hit-and-run.

First you forget names; then you forget faces; then you forget to zip up your fly; and then you forget to unzip your fly.

The world's not so simple anymore, I guess it never was. We ignored it, now we can't.

There never has been a man in the game who could put mind and muscle together quicker and with better judgment than Robinson.

I was in the top ten percent of my law school class. I am a Doctor of Juris Prudence. I have an honorary Doctor of Laws. So, would somebody please tell me why I spent four mortal hours today conversing with a person named Dizzy Dean.

Fill in any figure you want for that boy (Mickey Mantle). Whatever the figure, it's a deal.

Branch Rickey made me a better man.

It (a baseball box score) doesn't tell how big you are, what church you attend, what color you are, or how your father voted in the last election. It just tells what kind of baseball player you were on that particular day.

He (Leo Durocher) had the ability of taking a bad situation and making it immediately worse.

We win if the world is convinced of two things, that you are a fine gentleman, and a great baseball player.

First of all, a man, whether seeking achievement on the athletic field or in business, must want to win. He must feel that the thing he is doing is worthwhile; so worthwhile that he is willing to pay the price of success to attain distinction.

Success is that place in the road where preparation meets opportunity.

Worry is simply thinking the same thing over and over again and not doing anything about it.

I'm a man of some intelligence. I've had some education, passed the bar, practiced law. I've been a teacher and I deal with men of substance, statesman, business leaders, the clergy... So why do I spend my time arguing with Dizzy Dean?

I am alarmed at the subtle invasion of professional football, which is gaining preeminence over baseball. It's unthinkable.

Don't look at the hole in the doughnut. Look at the whole doughnut.

All I had was natural ability.

A full mind is an empty bat.

Luck is the residue of design.

The man with the ball is responsible for what happens to the ball.

Baseball is a game of inches.

Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.

Thinking about the devil is worse than seeing the devil.

The greatest untapped reservoir of raw material in the history of our game is the black race.

Only in baseball can a team player be a pure individualist first and a team player second, within the rules and spirit of the game.

Never surrender opportunity for security.

Leisure is the handmaiden of the devil.

I don't care if I was a ditch-digger at a dollar a day, I'd want to do my job better than the fellow next to me. I'd want to be the best at whatever I do.

How to use your leisure time is the biggest problem of a ballplayer.

Cobb lived off the field as though he wished to live forever. He lived on the field as though it was his last day.

Baseball people, and that includes myself, are slow to change and accept new ideas. I remember that it took years to persuade them to put numbers on uniforms.

A great ballplayer is a player who will take a chance.

Trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late.

Ethnic prejudice has no place in sports, and baseball must recognize that truth if it is to maintain stature as a national game.

It is not the honor that you take with you, but the heritage you leave behind.

If things don't come easy, there is no premium on effort. There should be joy in the chase, zest in the pursuit.

Problems are the price you pay for progress.