There are three kinds of people in this world: people who make it happen, people who watch what happens, and people who wonder what happened.
Everything I have, I owe to baseball and the Dodgers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses gratitude for the opportunities and achievements provided by baseball and the Dodgers.
Tommy Lasorda's quote highlights the deep connection between his identity and the sport of baseball, particularly the Dodgers. It signifies how much he attributes his life's successes, experiences, and perhaps values to his involvement with baseball, emphasizing the profound impact that the sport has had on shaping his life and career. This sentiment reflects the notion that passions can serve as powerful catalysts for personal growth and achievement.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a sports gala, you could say this quote to emphasize the importance of athletes in achieving success.
More from Tommy Lasorda
All quotes →Guys ask me, don't I get burned out? How can you get burned out doing something you love? I ask you, have you ever got tired of kissing a pretty girl?
Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it's because you've started to think of failure.
When I took the job as the manager of the Olympic team, I didn't take it because I was a Dodger. I did it because I was an American, and I wanted to bring that gold medal where it belongs in baseball, the United States. And that's exactly what our team did.
I walk into the clubhouse today and it's like walking into the Mayo Clinic. We have four doctors, three therapists and five trainers. Back when I broke in, we had one trainer who carried a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and by the 7th inning he'd already drunk it.
The worst team in baseball's history won only 55 games. The best team ever won 110 out of 160, so you're virtually guaranteed to win 1/3 of the time and lose 1/3 of the time. The difference is the 1/3 in the middle. You don't know what bucket the game you're playing falls into, so if you're smart, you'll fight like everything for all of them.
Similar quotes
When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet Theatre in New York. It all happened so fast - it was pretty unheard of that someone could train for so few years and become a professional at one of the most elite dance companies in the United States.
No great achievement is possible without persistent work.
Most people have the opportunity of a lifetime flash right in front of them, and they fail to see it. A year later, they find out about it, after everyone else got rich.
A crown Golden in show, is but a wreath of thorns, Bring dangers, troubles, cares, and sleepless nights To him who wears the regal diadem
People talk about getting lucky breaks in their careers. I’m living proof that the “lucky breaks” theory is simply wrong. You get to make your own luck... The world is run by those who show up…not those who wait to be asked.
No matter what one does, regardless of failure or success, the experience is a form of success in itself.