Quotes by Hank Aaron

“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.”

“Im hoping someday that some kid, black or white, will hit more home runs than myself. Whoever it is, Id be pulling for him.”

“Guessing what the pitcher is going to throw is eighty percent of being a successful hitter. The other twenty percent is just execution.”

“It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.”

“I have always felt that although someone may defeat me, and I strike out in a ball game, the pitcher on the particular day was the best player. But I know when I see him again, Im going to be ready for his curve ball. Failure is a part of success. There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life. But failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it.”

“I dont feel right unless I have a sport to play or at least a way to work up a sweat.”

“I never doubted my ability, but when you hear all your life youre inferior, it makes you wonder if the other guys have something youve never seen before. If they do, Im still looking for it.”

“I cant recall a day this year or last when I did not hear the name of Babe Ruth.”

“Didnt come up here to read. Came up here to hit.”

“To this day, I dont know how he withstood the things he did without lashing back. Ive been through a lot in my time, and I consider myself to be a patient man, but I know I couldnt have done what Jackie did. I dont think anybody else could have done it. Somehow, though, Jackie had the strength to suppress his instincts, to sacrifice his pride for his people.”

“Can I smoke now without someone taking my picture?”

“On the field, blacks have been able to be super giants. But, once our playing days are over, this is the end of it and we go back to the back of the bus again.”

“I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. Thats when youve got to be serious. When I get out on the field, nothings a joke to me. I dont feel like I should walk around with a smile on my face.”

“Last year, I was sort of a kid and I was a little scared, I aint scared any more.”

“I dont want them to forget Ruth, I just want them to remember me!”

“I looked for the same pitch my whole career, a breaking ball. All of the time. I never worried about the fastball. They couldnt throw it past me, none of them.”

“We need to be concerned about young people . . . if we dont protect them, how are we going to protect this country?”

“I dont see pitches down the middle anymore - not even in batting practice.”

“Roger Maris lost his hair the season he hit sixty-one, I still have all my hair, but when its over, Im going home to Mobile and fish for a long time.”

“An amateur golfer is one who addresses the ball twice: once before swinging, and once again after swinging”