Willie Stargell quotes:

There's nothing I value more than the closeness of friends and family, a smile as I pass someone on the street.

I'm a God-fearing man who worships with my heart and with my life.

We all wore a 21 patch that one season as a silent tribute to our deceased teammate Roberto.

I would always reserve a special place in my heart for Pittsburgh.

To me, baseball has always been a reflection of life. Like life, it adjusts. It survives everything.

Human beings are pampered by the Lord. Their real tests don't come until later in life.

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.

Oakland revolved around Forbes Field. Nothing in the city could match that atmosphere.

I never search for a reason why - I have faith in the Lord's purpose.

I'm proud of the fact that I'm the only player to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium.

My first job after my retirement from baseball was as a narrator for the Eastman Philharmonica.

The Giants were a good team, but our biggest enemy was said to be Candlestick Park.

Unfortunately, inner feelings and potential are often stunted by our parents, relatives or peers.

It's supposed to be fun, the man says 'Play Ball' not 'Work Ball' you know.

I see a lot of people who love their jobs. I see some garbage collectors smiling as they go about their work.

Baseball for me was instinctive, born within me, given to me as a gift from God.

We devote our entire lives to becoming good ball players. We take batting practice until our hands bleed.

Playing baseball was my dream, and no amount of money could sway my opinion.

That's where the future lies, in the youth of today.

I don't really feel that I deserve all my applause.

I was the most powerful left-handed hitter in the Alameda area.

Life is one big transition.

I wasn't out drinking and abusing my body. I simply loved to go out and dance.

Never had I had so many friends and so much fun as I did in the projects.

I loved to hit with men on base and with the game on the line.

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.

To middle-class parents, the project team may have seemed unfit for children, but it was exactly what I needed.

I flailed my arm in a throwing motion before I could even walk.

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.

If a reporter doesn't like the person he's writing about, it shows up in his article.

Throwing a knuckleball for a strike is like throwing a butterfly with hiccups across the street into your neighbor's mailbox.

You only have a few years to play this game and you can't play it if you're all tied up in knots.

I eventually became proud of my strikeouts, because each one represented another learning experience.

I was bred as an outcast, part Negro and part Seminole, in my early years raised as an Indian.

I was always a self-proclaimed poor slider.

I love September, especially when we're in it.

They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball. And they tell you to hit it square.

Judgment traps you within the limitations of your comparisons. It inhibits freedom.

A World Series trophy is a wonderful thing to behold.

I found myself in a race with Mother Nature to play as much baseball as I could before she forced me to stop.

Love soothes wounds, while hatred and violence deepen them.

Vietnam helped me realize who the true heroes really are in this world. It's not the home-run hitters.

I've witnessed thousands of superior athletes try to becomes hitters and fail at it.

Simple pleasures were all the pleasures that I knew as a child.

To be successful, one must take chances.

I never did allow anything to keep me from my kids. They're the most important part of my life.

Reporters often forget that athletes are human beings.

Helping someone is what life is all about.

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.

Don't be sharp or flat; just be natural.

I always said that when it was time to retire, I would know it, and I would just tip my hat to the crowds.

I gave out stars whenever an appropriate situation presented itself.

I owe a large part of my success to Joe Brown, who helped me both as a player and a person.

I've always been a slave to my heart.

The bat is gone, but the smile remains.

Trying to hit Sandy Koufax was like trying to drink coffee with a fork.

When they start the game, they don't yell, "Work ball." They say, "Play ball."

When we make a mistake, it becomes front-page news. We don't need any reporter telling us how badly we played.