Derek Jeter quotes: Sir Shortstop’s finest quotes.
“My office is at Yankee Stadium. Yes, dreams do come true.”
“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do – and I believe that. It doesn’t take talent to work hard.”
“You dream on, you ‘attack your weaknesses.’ You learn how to be a team player and you keep your head high. My mother never let me use the word ‘can’t’ when I was growing up. You may have the potential to be an All-Star, but you gotta do all the heavy hitting on the way to making your dream come true.”
“The longer you wait to decide what you want to do, the more time you’re wasting. It’s up to you to want something so badly that your passion shows through in your actions. Your actions, not your words, will do the shouting for you.”
“Don’t be afraid to fail. Risk. Push yourself beyond your comfort zone.”
“Think before you act. Train yourself, keep a clear head, and think through the long-term consequences of today’s actions.”
“I’m not one to sit around and be satisfied about something. I can always get better.”
“I think it comes easy to work hard. I was always taught, don’t short-change yourself. Keep working to get better.”
“When you put a lot of hard work into one goal and you achieve it, that’s a really good feeling.”
“If you want something then you’ll have to put in the work. Whether you become famous or not isn’t the issue, it’s what you can accomplish with the work you do.”
“You do things over and over again, and when you get in a situation you like to think it comes natural. I think there has to be a mindset that you’re not afraid to fail. I’m not afraid to fail. I’ve done it quite a bit. The calmer you are the more it slows down for you, and I think part of that is controlling your emotions.”
“The hard work is important, but the feeling you can get from knowing that you’ve done your best and accomplished something is better than the reward that comes with it.”
“The last thing you want to do is finish playing or doing anything and wish you would have worked harder.”
“I think sometimes people need to get used to an idea. Many people don’t enjoy change, especially when it means saying goodbye to something they have grown used to over the years. The idea that is presented isn’t always the most popular aspect of any situation, but it is what some people need to get used to in order to move forward.”
“Sometimes people complicate things by thinking too much about what someone might think of what they said or did.”
“When people are negative a lot, it starts to creep into your mind, and then you start having doubts, and I don’t like that. If there’s another way, show me. My job is to stay positive.”
“If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else believe in you? We can be our own best friends or our own worst enemies. I have always vowed to be my own best friend by exhibiting a positive attitude.”
“You have to be confident. If you’re not confident, you might as well go home.”
“Surround yourself with good people. People who are going to be honest with you and look out for your best interests.”
“Through time you learn from your experiences. It’s important to ask questions and learn.
“Leadership is more about what you do, not what you say. In order to lead people, you have to get to know them.”
“Your image isn’t your character. Character is what you are as a person.”
“I’m not perfect; no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. I think you try to learn from those mistakes.”
“There’s responsibility, but there’s also accountability. You have to be accountable for your actions.”
“When I was younger, I was always taught not to make excuses.”
“Everyone fears rejection.”
“You gotta have fun. Regardless of how you look at it… it’s a business, it’s our job, but I don’t think you can do well unless you’re having fun.”
“You’re playing a game. It’s impossible to do well unless you’re having a good time. People talk about pressure. Yeah, there’s pressure. But I just look at it as fun.”
“You can’t be sensitive, because you’re going to get criticized. I don’t care who you are, you’re going to get criticized. I always take criticism as a challenge. It’s the way I’ve always looked at it.”
“You have to take the good with the bad.”
“I think when things linger, that’s when they become a distraction. I don’t want any distractions.”
“I have feelings. I’m not emotionally stunted.”
“I always have tried to treat people with respect, the way I want to be treated.”
“If I put my name on something, I’m going to be involved. I’m not just going to put my name on it and not pay attention.”
“What kind of influence did my parents have on my life? Well, they had the most influence. These are the people who are closest to me. My parents are very positive people. They’ve been supportive. They’re always there.”
“I looked up to my parents because they were very successful in what they wanted to do. I was lucky; I didn’t have to look far for role models.”
“My dad had been shortstop when he was in college, and you know, when you’re a kid, you want to be just like your dad.”
“My parents always felt if I worked hard enough I could make any dream come true.”
“I’ve always been very cautious with what I do. You know, that started at a young age. I always had the approach or the mentality I never wanted to embarrass my parents.”
“For me, when I was a kid, volunteering was the last thing I was thinking about. When I see kids doing it now, it amazes me. It’s very impressive, it gives them something productive to do as opposed to getting in trouble. For them to take time out at such a young age is remarkable. I think all kids should take a little time out to volunteer.”
“If you have a little, you give a little back. If you have a lot, you give a lot back.”
“Kids are our future.”
“I can see how people work out to feel better.”
“Athletics keeps us healthy, gets us up and running around. It also gives you an opportunity to meet a lot of different people, which is very important.”
“So many people are insanely busy nowadays, and it’s easy to say, ‘Ah, I’ll work out tomorrow.’ But you have to set aside a time and stick to that schedule.”
“The big difference for me is that, as I get older, I find it’s a lot easier to stay in shape than it is to get back in shape.”
“I love it when people doubt me. It makes me work harder to prove them wrong.”
“If you’re going to play at all, you’re out to win. Baseball, board games, playing Jeopardy, I hate to lose.”
“My grandmother asks me to race down the street, I’m going to try to beat her. And I’ll probably enjoy it. Competitive to a fault, sometimes.”
“My heroes, my dreams, and my future lay in Yankee Stadium. And they can’t take that away from me.”
“The thing that means the most to me is being remembered as a Yankee, because that’s what I’ve always wanted to be, was to be a Yankee.”
“I want to own a team one day. You know, that’s my next goal.”
“Obviously, you’re known for what you do. But you still want to be known as a good person. You’re a person a lot longer before and after you’re a professional athlete.”
“My life lessons are a four-part equation: a kid with a dream, total commitment, a strong work ethic, plus supportive parents equals success.”
“Work hard, love what you do, put your best foot forward and never forget the kid in you.”
“Achieve your dreams. Support initiatives building tomorrow’s leaders. When the game’s over, you’ll be truly ‘rich’ in spirit. And if it’s your dream, you could even be the Yankee’s next great shortstop. Remember, everyone has the potential to be an All-Star!”
“In my opinion, I’ve had the greatest job in the world. I got a chance to be the shortstop for the New York Yankees, and there’s only one of those. And I always felt as though it was my job, was to try to provide joy and entertainment for you guys, but it can’t compare to what you brought me. So for that, thank you very much.”
Related: A-Rod quotes.
