68 Quotes by Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth, born George Herman Ruth Jr., was an iconic figure in American sports history and one of the most legendary baseball players of all time. Born in 1895 in Maryland, Ruth's remarkable career spanned from the early 1910s to the late 1930s. Renowned for his prodigious hitting ability and powerful swing, Ruth transformed the game of baseball with his extraordinary talent.
He was a prolific home run hitter, setting and breaking numerous records throughout his career. However, Ruth's impact extended beyond his batting prowess. His charismatic personality, larger-than-life persona, and unmatched popularity contributed to the rise of baseball as America's national pastime.
Ruth's influence was not confined to the field; he symbolized the American Dream, rising from a troubled childhood to become a sports icon and cultural phenomenon. His success on the baseball diamond transcended racial and socioeconomic barriers, capturing the imagination of fans across the nation. Babe Ruth's legacy endures as a symbol of greatness, resilience, and the indomitable spirit of the human drive for excellence.
Babe Ruth Quotes
You just can't beat the person who never gives up. (Meaning)
Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.
The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.
Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back.
Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world.
I had only one superstition. I made sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run.
I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can.
Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.
Don't be afraid to take advice. There's always something new to learn.
I'd play for half my salary if I could hit in this dump (Wrigley Field) all the time.
Yesterday's home runs don't win today's games.
I've heard people say that the trouble with the world is that we haven't enough great leaders. I think we haven't enough great followers. I have stood side by side with great thinkers - surgeons, engineers, economists; people who deserve a great following - and have heard the crowd cheer me instead.
I've never heard a crowd boo a homer, but I've heard plenty of boos after a strikeout.
Who is richer? The man who is seen, but cannot see? Or the man who is not being seen, but can see?
The way a team plays as a whole determines its success.
What the hell has (Herbert) Hoover got to do with it? Anyway, I had a better year than he did.
A part of control is learning to correct your own weaknesses. The person doesn't live who was born with everything. Sometimes he has one weak point, generally he has several. The first thing is to know your faults. And then take on a systematic plan of correcting them. You know the old saying about a chain only being as strong as its weakest link. The same can be said in the chain of skills a man forges.
It's hard to beat a person that never gives up.
Life is a game like any other; we just don't take it as seriously.
How to hit home runs: I swing as hard as I can, and I try to swing right through the ball... The harder you grip the bat, the more you can swing it through the ball, and the farther the ball will go. I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can.
What do I think about when I strike out? I think about hitting home runs.
Love the game of baseball and baseball will love you.
Every Strike is one step closer to a Home Run
I'd give a year of my life if I could hit a homerun on opening day of this great new park.
All I can tell them is pick a good one and sock it. I get back to the dugout and they ask me what it was I hit and I tell them I don't know except it looked good.
You know this baseball game of ours comes up from the youth - that means the boys. And after you've been a boy, and grow up to know how to play ball, then you come to the boys you see representing themselves today in our national pastime.
If it wasn't for baseball, I'd be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery. I have the same violent temper my father and older brother had. Both died of injuries from street fights in Baltimore, fights begun by flare-ups of their tempers.
I learned early to drink beer, wine and whiskey. And I think I was about 5 when I first chewed tobacco.
If you want to hit home runs, you've go to swing a lot.
As soon as I got out there I felt a strange relationship with the pitcher's mound. It was as if I'd been born out there. Pitching just felt like the most natural thing in the world. Striking out batters was easy.
I'll promise to go easier on drinking and to get to bed earlier, but not for you, fifty thousand dollars, or two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars will I give up women. They're too much fun.
I won't be happy until we have every boy in America between the ages of six and sixteen wearing a glove and swinging a bat.
If it wasn't for baseball, I'd be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.
What I am, what I have, what I am going to leave behind me - all this I owe to the game of baseball.
Baseball is the greatest game in the world and deserves the best you can give it.
Well, the good Lord and good luck must have been with me because I did exactly what I said I was going to do.
A man ought to get all he can earn. A man who knows he's making money for other people ought to get some of the profit he brings in. Don't make any difference if it's baseball or a bank or a vaudeville show. It's business, I tell you. There ain't no sentiment to it. Forget that stuff.
A part of control is learning to correct your weaknesses.
Each strikeout brings me closer to my next homerun.
I don't need to know where the green is. Where is the golf course?
I'm only going one way.
I only have one superstition: I make sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run.
Don't ever forget two things I'm going to tell you. One, don't believe everything that's written about you. Two, don't pick up too many checks.
All ballplayers should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill.
The only real game, I think, in the world is baseball.
The most important thing that a young athlete must do it pick the right sport. Not one that they like just a little bit, but one that they love. Because,if they don't really love their sport, they won't work as hard as they should. Me? I loved to hit.
I said I'm going to hit the next one right over the flagpole. God must have been with me.
Wealth is always attracted, never pursued.
It's hard to beat somebody when they don't give up.
"I'm going over the valley." (Dying from throat cancer, his doctor found him wandering around his room, asked him where was he going?)
If I'd just tried for them dinky singles I could've batted around .600.
Let me show you how it's done... Loser!
I thank heaven we have had baseball in this world... the kids... our national pastime.
Reading isn't good for a ballplayer. Not good for his eyes. If my eyes went bad even a little bit I couldn't hit home runs. So I gave up reading.
Gee, its lonesome in the outfield. It's hard to keep awake with nothing to do.
How about a little noise. How do you expect a man to putt?
I didn't mean to hit the umpire with the dirt, but I did mean to hit that bastard in the stands.
Baseball changes through the years. It gets milder.
I don't give a damn about any actors. What good will John Barrymore do you with the bases loaded and two down in a tight ball game. Either I get the money (more than Barrymore), or I don't play!
What the hell has Hoover got to do with it? Besides, I had a better year than he did.
Paris ain't much of a town.
What the hell difference does it make?
The termites have got me.
I hit an inside-the-park home run! I beat it out! Can you believe that?
Read about your case of amnesia. Must be a new brand.
They started something here, and the kids are keeping the ball rolling.
I hear the cheers when they roared and the jeers when they echoed.
That last one sounded kinda high to me.
― Babe Ruth Quotes
Babe Ruth (Baseball Player) Life Highlights
- George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. was born on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- He is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time and is an iconic figure in American sports history.
- Ruth began his professional baseball career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1914.
- His career took a significant turn when he was traded to the New York Yankees in 1920, where he transitioned from a pitcher to a full-time outfielder and became a legendary hitter.
- Babe Ruth's powerful hitting style revolutionized the game of baseball, and he is often credited with popularizing the home run as an exciting offensive strategy.
- During the 1920s, Ruth's batting prowess was unparalleled. He set numerous records, including the single-season home run record of 60 in 1927, a mark that stood for 34 years.
- His charisma and larger-than-life personality made him a beloved figure, and he earned the nickname "The Sultan of Swat" for his incredible hitting ability.
- Ruth's success on the field helped to elevate the popularity of baseball and turn it into "America's Pastime."
- He won seven World Series titles throughout his career, three with the Boston Red Sox and four with the New York Yankees.
- Despite his illustrious career, Babe Ruth faced personal challenges, including health issues and a tumultuous personal life.
- After his playing career, Ruth remained involved in baseball as a coach and ambassador for the game.
- He was one of the first five inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.
- Babe Ruth's impact on baseball transcends generations, and he is often celebrated as a symbol of American sports excellence and the epitome of the American Dream.
- He passed away on August 16, 1948, in New York City, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire baseball players and fans around the world.
* The editor of this curated page made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any sayings, quotes, facts, dates, or key life events.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
