1.
Oakland revolved around Forbes Field. Nothing in the city could match that atmosphere.
Willie Stargell
2.
I was bred as an outcast, part Negro and part Seminole, in my early years raised as an Indian.
Willie Stargell
3.
Pittsburgh isn't fancy, but it is real. It's a working town and money doesn't come easy. I feel as much a part of this city as the cobblestone streets and the steel mills, people in this town expect an honest day's work, and I've it to them for a long, long time.
Willie Stargell
4.
I've always been a slave to my heart.
Willie Stargell
5.
Be honest and work hard to get what you want. Don't take shortcuts; you only cheat yourself in the long run. Success is not measured by money or fame, but by how you feel about your own goals and accomplishments and the time and effort you put into them.
Willie Stargell
6.
To be successful, one must take chances.
Willie Stargell
7.
I eventually became proud of my strikeouts, because each one represented another learning experience.
Willie Stargell
8.
When they start the game, they don't yell, "Work ball." They say, "Play ball."
Willie Stargell
9.
Throwing a knuckleball for a strike is like throwing a butterfly with hiccups across the street into your neighbor's mailbox.
Willie Stargell
10.
They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball. And they tell you to hit it square.
Willie Stargell
11.
Helping someone is what life is all about.
Willie Stargell
12.
You only have a few years to play this game and you can't play it if you're all tied up in knots.
Willie Stargell
13.
There's nothing I value more than the closeness of friends and family, a smile as I pass someone on the street.
Willie Stargell
14.
Trying to hit Sandy Koufax was like trying to drink coffee with a fork.
Willie Stargell
15.
It's supposed to be fun, the man says 'Play Ball' not 'Work Ball' you know.
Willie Stargell
16.
Human beings are pampered by the Lord. Their real tests don't come until later in life.
Willie Stargell
17.
Life is one big transition.
Willie Stargell
18.
Love soothes wounds, while hatred and violence deepen them.
Willie Stargell
19.
I never did allow anything to keep me from my kids. They're the most important part of my life.
Willie Stargell
20.
I see a lot of people who love their jobs.
I see some garbage collectors smiling as they go about their work.
Willie Stargell
21.
I never search for a reason why - I have faith in the Lord's purpose.
Willie Stargell
22.
Baseball for me was instinctive, born within me, given to me as a gift from God.
Willie Stargell
23.
Vietnam helped me realize who the true heroes really are in this world. It's not the home-run hitters.
Willie Stargell
24.
To me, baseball has always been a reflection of life. Like life, it adjusts. It survives everything.
Willie Stargell
25.
I'm a God-fearing man who worships with my heart and with my life.
Willie Stargell
26.
I'm always amazed when a pitcher becomes angry at a hitter for hitting a home run off him. When I strike out, I don't get angry at the pitcher, I get angry at myself. I would think that if a pitcher threw up a home run ball, he should be angry at himself.
Willie Stargell
27.
I don't really feel that I deserve all my applause.
Willie Stargell
28.
Judgment traps you within the limitations of your comparisons. It inhibits freedom.
Willie Stargell
29.
The Giants were a good team, but our biggest enemy was said to be Candlestick Park.
Willie Stargell
30.
I always said that when it was time to retire, I would know it, and I would just tip my hat to the crowds.
Willie Stargell
31.
Unfortunately, inner feelings and potential are often stunted by our parents, relatives or peers.
Willie Stargell
32.
To middle-class parents, the project team may have seemed unfit for children, but it was exactly what I needed.
Willie Stargell
33.
We devote our entire lives to becoming good ball players. We take batting practice until our hands bleed.
Willie Stargell
34.
I would always reserve a special place in my heart for Pittsburgh.
Willie Stargell
35.
I found myself in a race with Mother Nature to play as much baseball as I could before she forced me to stop.
Willie Stargell
36.
The bat is gone, but the smile remains.
Willie Stargell
37.
My first job after my retirement from baseball was as a narrator for the Eastman Philharmonica.
Willie Stargell
38.
People like us are afraid to leave ball. What else is there to do? When baseball has been your whole life, you can't think about a future without it, so you hang on as long as you can.
Willie Stargell
39.
We all wore a 21 patch that one season as a silent tribute to our deceased teammate Roberto.
Willie Stargell
40.
If a reporter doesn't like the person he's writing about, it shows up in his article.
Willie Stargell
41.
I was the most powerful left-handed hitter in the Alameda area.
Willie Stargell
42.
I gave out stars whenever an appropriate situation presented itself.
Willie Stargell
43.
Playing baseball was my dream, and no amount of money could sway my opinion.
Willie Stargell
44.
I'm proud of the fact that I'm the only player to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium.
Willie Stargell
45.
Never had I had so many friends and so much fun as I did in the projects.
Willie Stargell
46.
A World Series trophy is a wonderful thing to behold.
Willie Stargell
47.
Reporters often forget that athletes are human beings.
Willie Stargell
48.
I wasn't out drinking and abusing my body. I simply loved to go out and dance.
Willie Stargell
49.
Don't be sharp or flat; just be natural.
Willie Stargell
50.
That's where the future lies, in the youth of today.
Willie Stargell
