Pop flies, in a sense, are just a diversion for a second baseman. Grounders are his stock trade.

The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his personal dignity.

I had to fight hard against loneliness, abuse, and the knowledge that any mistakes I made would be magnified because I was the only black man out there... I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect.

I guess you'd call me an independent, since I've never identified myself with one party or another in politics. I always decide my vote by taking as careful a look as I can at the actual candidates and issues themselves, no matter what the party label.

At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion when the National Anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else.

The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.