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Yogi Berra has many influential and motivational quotes during his lifetime, and with his recent passing, his legacy and inspiration will only continue to grow. He had an amazing combination of wit, positivity and inspiration that few men have been able to combine.
He was a hero to my dad, and so many of his insights and quotes have been around me for as long as I can remember. Here are ten that all men can apply to their lives.
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1. “You can observe a lot by watching.”
This is something that reminds me that it’s sometimes better to take a step back, have some humility and let yourself learn and grow as a man. When you’re not observant in your life, a lot of it may end up passing you by.
2. “If you don’t know where you are going, you might end up someplace else.”
To me, growing up this was a reminder to have goals and keep focused on them. A man needs goals in his life to prevent him from wandering aimlessly. When you don’t have a direction or plan laid out in front of you, it makes it difficult to get where you want to be and achieve what you hoped to achieve.
3. “You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.”
As funny as this sounds, I always thought of this quote as a way to give yourself encouragement and also gives you a sense of control when facing defeat. When you take an approach like this, it’s like having the mindset that any loss is not a genuine loss because the game, or any situation in your life, was still determined by you.
4. “Slump? I ain’t in no slump…I just ain’t hitting.”
Is this not the ultimate ‘glass is half full’ approach? Even if Yogi Berra was in denial in any situation, he never showed it and always had a positive approach to a negative situation that any man would be wise to emulate. A simple approach by him that can create a powerful mindset in you.
5. “If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.”
I don’t think the great philosophers of the world captured something like this! This is open to many interpretations so feel free to chime in, but I always saw this as saying that a world without challenges, obstacles and setbacks to overcome would not be a world that allowed you to grow, adapt and thrive.
Men seek out perfection in many things that can leave you frustrated and defeated as it is impossible to attain. It is better for us to fail and get knocked down as it gives us the opportunity to really grow.
6. “You better cut the pizza in 4 slices because I’m not hungry enough to eat 6.”
Nothing to say here, I just think it’s hilarious as most of what the great man would say was!
7. “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
Apparently this was in reference to directions to his house but the legacy of this quote to me has left an inspiration. It relays a message of not second guessing things but simply taking any action as to what is presented in front of you.
8. “I try not to get too upset over things I can’t control.”
Is there any man out there that could not use this as a reminder?
9. “Whatever you do you should do it with feeling.”
And like my dad, and I’m sure many others have also said, anything worth doing is worth doing right. I think by treating even the most mundane task as important it helps to create a mindset where you can more easily find passion for anything you commit yourself to.
10. “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Is there anyone alive that doesn’t know this quote? It gave Yogi Berra a kind of immortal status in that it was so revered even when he was alive. It is the ultimate inspiration to never give up and provides hope and positivity even when you find yourself down and out.
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Photo: Flickr/ David Illig