They invented the All-Star game for Willie Mays.
Ted WilliamsRead
If I was being paid thirty-thousand dollars a year, the very least I could do was hit .400.
Interpretation
Determination and talent should match the effort and rewards one receives.
Ted Williams highlights the principle that if one receives a substantial reward, in this case, a high salary, they should meet or exceed the expectations associated with that reward through their performance. This reflects a broader idea about the importance of accountability and striving for excellence in one's endeavors.
In practice
In a motivational speech to aspiring athletes, this quote can be used to emphasize the importance of matching effort with reward.
They invented the All-Star game for Willie Mays.
I hope somebody hits .400 soon. Then people can start pestering that guy with questions about the last guy to hit .400.
A man has to have goals - for a day, for a lifetime - and that was mine, to have people say, 'There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived.'
There's only one way to become a hitter. Go up to the plate and get mad. Get mad at yourself and mad at the pitcher.
You have to hit the fastball to play in the big leagues.
Baseball gives every American boy a chance to excel, not just to be as good as someone else but to be better than someone else. This is the nature of man and the name of the game.
All I ever wanted to do was play competitive golf against the best players in the world.
Entrepreneurship is like a computer game in which you have to master every level before achieving success. Startups repeatedly stumble and have to go back to the drawing board. The best way to skip some levels and to increase the odds of survival is to learn from others who have already played the game.
I look for the entrepreneur to capture my attention. If you don't come out with a great presentation, you're dead. That's a big red flag.
There is a difference between WISHING for a thing and being READY to receive it. No one is ready for a thing, until he believes he can acquire it. The state of mind must be BELIEF, not mere hope or wish. Open-mindedness is essential for belief.
The number one idea is to view a stock as an ownership of the business and to judge the staying quality of the business in terms of its competitive advantage. Look for more value in terms of discounted future cash-flow than you are paying for. Move only when you have an advantage.
Ideas are cheap. Ideas are easy. Ideas are common. Everybody has ideas. Ideas are highly, highly overvalued. Execution is all that matters.
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