Yogi Berra was more than a New York Yankee great; he was an American treasure. He is regarded as one of the greatest catchers in the history of baseball, and he has the credentials to prove it: Berra was an All-Star for 15 of his 19 seasons as a player. He was a three-time American League MVP. Most impressive of all, he won 10 World Series championships – the most of any player in MLB history. He won another three World Series rings as a coach (one with the New York Mets and another two with the Yankees).
In November of 2015, less than two months after his passing, Berra was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
As gifted as he was on the baseball field, Berra was also beloved off of it. He became well known for his unintentional yet hilarious malapropisms, including his famous, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Over time, these classic quips became known as “Yogi-isms.” Here are our favorites:
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
“It’s like déjà vu all over again.”
“You can observe a lot by just watching.”
“You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.”
“I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four.“
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”
“The future ain’t what it used to be.”
”Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”
“No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded.”
“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.
“Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.”
“Congratulations. I knew the record would stand until it was broken.”
“It gets late early out here.”
“Pair up in threes.”
“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.”
“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.”
“He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.”
“It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much.”
“I don’t know (if they were men or women fans running naked across the field). They had bags over their heads.”
“I’m a lucky guy and I’m happy to be with the Yankees. And I want to thank everyone for making this night necessary.”
“I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.”
“It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.”
“I never said most of the things I said.”
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