"And my father didn't have money for me to go to college. And at that particular time they didn't have black quarterbacks, and I don't think I could have made it in basketball, because I was only 5β² 11". So I just picked baseball."
Willie MaysRead
I was a baseball player, I taught baseball, and all of a sudden I was in the business world. Now I used the baseball world to talk about their product. Not too much, just enough to keep going. Just be yourself and you'll never have a problem. That's what I did.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Embrace your authentic self and leverage your unique experiences for success in new ventures.
In this quote, Willie Mays highlights the importance of staying true to oneself while navigating unfamiliar territories, such as transitioning from sports to business. By leveraging his background in baseball to connect with others and market products, he emphasizes that authenticity can be a powerful tool for success, encouraging individuals to trust in themselves and their unique journey.
Themes
AuthenticitySuccessBaseballSelfBusiness
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speech at a business seminar discussing the importance of being authentic.
More from Willie Mays
All quotes βI remember the last season I played. I went home after a ballgame one day, lay down on my bed, and tears came to my eyes. How can you explain that? It's like crying for your mother after she's gone. You cry because you love her. I cried, I guess, because I loved baseball, and I knew I had to leave it.
Willie MaysRead
Robinson was important to all blacks. To make it into the majors and to take all the name calling, he had to be something special. He had to take all this for years, not just for Jackie Robinson, but for the nation.
Willie MaysRead
I was very fortunate to play sports. All the anger in me went out. I had to do what I had to do. If you stay angry all the time, then you really don't have a good life.
Willie MaysRead
I think I was the best baseball player I ever saw.
Willie MaysRead
In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without one-hundred percent dedication, you won't be able to do this.
Willie MaysRead
Similar quotes
I want to feel I can help the club to believe they are good, and I want to feel the fans knowing the team is good. Sometimes you don't believe that because in the past, you have not won as many titles like the other ones.
Pep GuardiolaRead
I have stocked shelves, waited on tables, and bartended. I have been a salesperson at many levels. Each giving me a unique view of what made a company successful and, even more importantly, what made a company fail.
Mark CubanRead
The fame you earn has a different taste from the fame that is forced upon you
Gloria VanderbiltRead
As I was growing up, I did a lot of talent shows. I won fifteen Sunday nights straight in a series of talent shows in Macon. I showed up the sixteenth night, and they wouldn't let me go on any more. Whatever success I had was through the help of the good Lord.
Otis ReddingRead
The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.
Napoleon HillRead
Many a man has finally succeeded only because he has failed after repeated efforts. If he had never met defeat he would never have known any great victory.
Orison Swett MardenRead