Close don't count in baseball. Close only counts in horseshoes and grenades.
Frank RobinsonRead
As a black, you find you have to be two or three times better than a white even to play. And when it comes to front-office jobs, management believes you'll never be as good.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the challenges faced by Black individuals in proving their worth in predominantly white spaces.
Frank Robinson's quote emphasizes the systemic discrimination Black individuals encounter, particularly in professional environments like sports and management. He suggests that to be recognized and judged equally, they must significantly outperform their white counterparts, which speaks to the broader issues of racial inequality and the persistent belief among some that they are inherently less capable for leadership roles.
In practice
During a discussion about diversity in the workplace, you could reference this quote to highlight racial challenges.
Close don't count in baseball. Close only counts in horseshoes and grenades.
It's nice to come into a town and be referred to as the manager of the Cleveland Indians instead of as the first black manager.
It was a breaking period for black people coming into baseball, and how many followed depended on Jackie's conduct. But that's not the case now. What and how I do doesn't mean nearly as much as what and how Jackie did.
When I had cancer, people were surprised at how cheerful and upbeat I was, but I couldn't let myself go to depression - to go there, that defeat would allow everything in. If you look too far into the abyss, you might never come out again. You can stand on the abyss and peep but not give in to sadness.
It's alright to feel fear, but sometimes a very bad idea to show it.
We must carry the war into every corner the enemy happens to carry it, to his home, to his centers of entertainment: a total war. It is necessary to prevent him from having a moment of peace, a quiet moment outside his barracks or even inside; we must attack him wherever he may be, make him feel like a cornered beast wherever he may move. Then his moral fiber shall begin to decline, but we shall notice how the signs of decadence begin to disappear.
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house?
Regardless of what barriers confront you, it is in your power to free yourselves; you have only to want to.
This aggression will not stand
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