“I try to stay as private as possible; I know that’s difficult, especially playing here in New York, but I make an attempt at it.”

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.

We just want to win. That’s the bottom line. I think a lot of times people may become content with one championship or a little bit of success, but we don’t really reflect on what we’ve done in the past. We focus on the present.

The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it would be time to move forward.

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.

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.

I always take criticism as a challenge. It’s the way I’ve always looked at it.

If you’re going to win games, you’re going to have to come up with the big hits. That’s the bottom line.

I go into every game thinking I’m going to be the hero. I have to, or I wouldn’t enjoy it.

When you put a lot of hard work into one goal and you achieve it, that’s a really good feeling.

It doesn’t feel different being here (at the All-Star Game) I feel like I’m on an All-Star team everyday.

I attribute much of my success in New York to my ability to understand and avoid unnecessary distractions.

My parents always felt if I worked hard enough I could make any dream come true.

Yankee Stadium is my favorite stadium; I’m not going to lie to you. There’s a certain feel you get in Yankee Stadium.

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 think when things linger, that’s when they become a distraction. I don’t want any distractions.

Surround yourself with good people. People who are going to be honest with you and look out for your best interests.

The attempt to develop a sense of humor and to see things in a humorous light is some kind of a trick learned while mastering the art of living.

Many people today attempt to draw differences between communism and socialism – there are none.

I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.

Rationalization is a process of not perceiving reality, but of attempting to make reality fit one’s emotions.

When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us.

Do not attempt to hide things which cannot be hidden.

My rule was I will not answer a question that attempts to project how I will rule in a case that might come before the court.

The space shuttle was often used as an example of why you shouldn’t even attempt to make something reusable. But one failed experiment does not invalidate the greater goal. If that was the case, we’d never have had the light bulb.