It's not easy to be a martyr in the field of race relations.

When asked about which team is the toughest team in the league, responded with an answer that all volleyball players must comprehend. He said simply that it was, 'The team you are playing.'

How does a man know when he's taking the last steps of his life?

I never want to quit playing ball, They'll have to cut this uniform off me to get me out of it

You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too.

Pop flies, in a sense, are just a diversion for a second baseman. Grounders are his stock trade.

I ought to break this trophy into 32 pieces

I don't like needing anyone for anything.

Are you looking for a Negro who won't fight back?

I'm not goin' anywhere, I'm right here!

How you played in yesterday's game is all that counts.

You're going to be a great player, kid.

The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.

Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he's losing; nobody wants you to quit when you're ahead.

Above anything else, I hate to lose.

I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect.

I know that I am a black man in a white world. . . I know that I never had it made.

This ain't fun. But you watch me, I'll get it done.

Life is not a spectator sport.