Celebrating the wit, wisdom of baseball legend Yogi Berra

By
THOMAS NEUMANN via <a href="http://espn.go.com/" title="ESPN" class="espn_sc_byline">ESPN </a>
via
September 23, 2015, 3:03 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, a three-time AL MVP and 10-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees, died Tuesday at age 90.

Berra, standing 5-foot-7 and weighing in at 185 pounds during his playing days, hit 358 home runs and drove in 1,430 runs in 18 seasons with the Yankees on his way to becoming one of the greatest catchers in history. He later managed both the Yankees and the New York Mets.

Although his feats on the diamond were legendary, Berra was perhaps known even better for his sharp wit and famous quotations. He denied ownership of some remarks and questioned the accuracy of others, but the myriad witticisms assigned to Berra only enhanced his reputation as a beloved and cherished baseball savant.

With that in mind, ESPN.com celebrates some of the most memorable quotes attributed to Berra, even if a few of them are too good to be true:

  • "Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical."
  • "All pitchers are liars or crybabies."
  • "He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious."
  • "You can't think and hit at the same time."
  • "So, I'm ugly. I never saw anyone hit with his face."
  • "It's déjà vu all over again."
  • "Even Napoleon had his Watergate."
  • "You can observe a lot just by watching."
  • "I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did."
  • "Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel."
  • "The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase."
  • "Cut my pie into four pieces. I don't think I could eat eight."
  • "Never answer an anonymous letter."
  • "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
  • "If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else."
  • "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
  • "If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."
  • "The future ain't what it used to be."
  • "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore."
  • "I never said most of the things I said."
  • "It ain't over 'til it's over."
  • "Always go to other people's funerals. Otherwise, they won't come to yours."