Ernie Banks Quotations

It's a great day for a ball game; let's play two!

When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a billionaire without paying taxes.

Loyalty and friendship, which is to me the same, created all the wealth that I've ever thought I'd have.

It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!

You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace.

Awards mean a lot, but they don't say it all. The people in baseball mean more to me than statistics.

I learned from Mr. Wrigley, early in my career, that loyalty wins and it creates friendships. I saw it work for him in his business.

But it all comes down to friendship, treating people right.

Did you hear that? I didn't hear anything. Put that question another way.

Work? I never worked a day in my life. I always loved what I was doing, had a passion for it.

People ask me a lot about the values I got from playing for the Cubs for so many years. The value I got out of it was patience. A lot of people these days are not very patient.

The only way to prove that you're a good sport is to lose.

I like my players to be married and in debt. That's the way you motivate them.

It's a kind of philosophy of my own life, to create the energy enough to keep on going.

Mr. Wrigley believed in this: Put all your eggs in one basket and watch the basket. They don't do that today. This is the old-fashioned way I'm talking about. He carried it on to his business. Do one thing and stay with it.

No, I think the pitching today has more depth.

Another friend hired me to open doors for him in the moving and relocation business. I did that for 10 years, am still doing it. And I do some work for the Cubs, in community relations.

During my time, there might have been one pitcher or two that were top pitchers on a team. Teams that won maybe had three, but today they have a lot of depth. They have a lot of long relievers, short relievers, and the strategy is different.

It would be a lot different for me because there is a lot of information that you need to know about as a player. How pitchers are pitching you, how defenses are playing, certain situations about certain pitchers.

I own stock, and I also insure my car with Geico.

The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money.

Yes, he is. Being with him and seeing him play in this city and being around him to see how he played, he hustled, his love for the game, the way he responded to people was a big inspiration to me.

Buffett invited me to a golf tournament in Omaha and I went to play in it, and we became friends. And he invited me to his stockholders meeting.

Just follow Buck O'Neil. This man is a leader, he's a genius. He understands people. He understands life. He will keep this going. He never gives up on situations he believes in. He's not discouraged about any of this. He believes he came along at the right time and is doing the right thing. He started the Negro League Museum in Kansas City. That was his goal, his mission, and many people resented that. But he stayed on course with his situations. All of us should learn from this man. He's an ambassador, he's a humanitarian. We should follow him and see what he has to say.

It was a wonderful play, and I was just enthusiastic about the Cubs playing well and getting the chance to come back, which they eventually did. I forgot about the rule. The man was very nice about it. I don't think he knew who I was, but I said I was sorry. I should have known.

It's such a nice day, let's play too.

After three years in banking, I went into the insurance business. Equitable Life Insurance. I spent two years selling life insurance.

The Cubs are gonna shine in sixty-nine.

That's a real void in my life. I see a lot of people who struggled and went to jail and the dogs were after them. I'd look them in the eyes and say, 'God almighty, I wish I'd have been there.'

Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.

Baseball reveals character; golf exposes it.

I was thinking (when he hit his 500th home run) about my mother and dad, about all the people in the Chicago Cubs organization that helped me and about the wonderful Chicago fans who have come out all these years to cheer me on. They've been a great inspiration to me.

The measure of a man is in the lives he’s touched.