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

I think everyone is ticklish. You just gotta find the right spots.

I think it comes easy to work hard. I was always taught, don’t short-change yourself. Keep working to get better.

I like to hit the gym early in the morning. I feel better throughout the day when I get in a workout first thing in the morning.

When it was time for parent-teacher conferences, I remember that I was always embarrassed about what my parents would hear about me!

Your image isn’t your character. Character is what you are as a person.

I can see how people work out to feel better.

So many people are insanely busy nowadays, and it’s easy to say, ‘Ah, I’ll workout tomorrow.’ But you have to set aside a time and stick to that schedule.

I get nervous watching teammates. I get nervous for them. Late in the game, pressure situation, I’m nervous for them.

Everyone fears rejection.

If you’re going to play at all, you’re out to win. Baseball, board games, playing Jeopardy, I hate to lose.

When I was younger, I was always taught not to make excuses.

You have to take the good with the bad. Some players only talk to the press when they are doing good. When you’re doing bad you shouldn’t shy away from them and when doing good, don’t run up to them.

I think sometimes people need to get used to an idea.

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 you believe is more important than what you possess. What you live is more lasting than what you profess. Whom you inspire is more significant than whom you impress.

If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it.

I do believe in love. I don’t believe you find it at 16 but I think I believe in it.

I’ve always believed that a person is smart. It’s people that are stupid.

If you really think about it, if we begin to teach history exactly the way that it happened – good, bad, ugly, no matter what – I believe that we’re going to find that we are closer, more connected than we are apart.

Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me and I may be forced to love you.

Everything possible to be believed is an image of truth.

Will future ages believe that such stupid bigotry ever existed!