Modern Zen

Lessons From A Yogi

Yogi Berra was a better baseball player than he was a speaker,but he's probably quoted more than Churchill. Much of what he said seems silly, until you think about it for a moment...then you discover a more profound meaning.

Here are a few of my favorite Yogi-isms. Each is like a Rorschach test and self-help course rolled up into one.       ~Dean Rieck~

"You can't think and hit at the same time."



Crowds 
"Nobody goes there; it's too crowded."
 "It was hard to have a conversation with anyone, there were too many people talking."

"A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore."
"We were overwhelming underdogs."

Obviously 
"It's dej`a vu all over again!"
"We made too many wrong mistakes."
"If people don't come to the ballpark, how are you gonna stop them?"
"The other team could make trouble for us if they win."
"It's never happened in World Series history, and it hasn't happened since."
"Slump? I ain't in no slump...I just ain't hitting."

"The only reason I need these gloves is 'cause of my hands."
"If I didn't wake up I'd still be sleeping."
"If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."
"Congratulations. I knew the record would stand until it was broken."
"You can observe a lot by watching."
"It ain't over till it's over."

Questions and Answers
"If you ask me a question I don't know, I'm not going to answer."
"I wish I had an answer to that because I'm tired of answering that question."
"Don't get me right, I'm just asking!"
"Never answer an anonymous letter."

Travelling 
"Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel."
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

"We're lost, but we're making good time."
"It's not too far, it just seems like it is."
"You've got to be careful if you don't know where you're going 'cause you might not get there."


Say Again? 
"I usually take a two hour nap from 1 to 4."
"If the world were perfect it wouldn't be."
"It gets late early out here."
"90% of the game is half mental."
"Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours."
"Steve McQueen looks good in this movie. He must have made it before he died."
"I'm as red as a sheet."
"Pair up in threes."
"We have a good time together, even when we're not together."
"Little League baseball is a good thing 'cause it keeps the parents off the streets and it keeps the kids out of the house!"
"The future ain't what it use to be."
"I really didn't say everything I said."

Yogi Berra