Some Memorable Jackie Robinson Quotes
Jackie Robinson’s quotes contributed greatly to the civil rights struggle and are therefore held in high regard as a person for his achievements. As you read through, we will be presenting to you Jackie Robinson Quotes.
Jackie Robinson wasn’t just an amazing baseball player; he was also a pioneer in the struggle for equality and tearing down racial barriers.
His bravery, strength, and unshakable commitment to justice still motivate people across generations.
We have compiled a list of Jackie Robinson quotes to inspire you as we proceed.
Jackie Robinson Quotes
Jackie Robinson’s words made a big difference.
His special point of view as a trailblazer in sports, combined with his ability to express himself well, makes him one of the most inspiring sports figures ever. Here are some quotes from Jackie Robinson;
1. “It kills me to lose. If I’m a troublemaker, and I don’t think that my temper makes me one, then it’s because I can’t stand losing. ” – Jackie Robinson.
2. It would make everything I worked for meaningless if baseball were integrated, but political parties were segregated.
3. I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.
4. “I don’t care if they like me. I didn’t come here to make friends. I don’t even care if they respect me. I know who I am. I’ve got enough respect for myself. I do not want them to beat me.”
5. I want everybody to understand that I am an American Negro first before I am a member of any political party.
6. “The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.” – Jackie Robinson
7. “I’m not going anywhere, I’m right here!” – Jackie Robinson.
8. “A life isn’t significant except for its impact on others’ lives.” -Jackie Robinson
9. “I do not believe that every person, in every walk of life, can succeed despite any handicap. That would be perfection.” – Jackie Robinson.
10. Many people resented my impatience and honesty, but I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect. “Jackie Robinson quotes”
11. It isn’t a perfect America and it isn’t run right, but it still belongs to us.
12. “This ain’t fun. But you watch me, I’ll get it done.” – Jackie Robinson.
13. “I guess if I could choose one of the most important moments in my life, I would go back to 1947, in the Yankee Stadium in New York City.” – Jackie Robinson.
14. “When I look back at what I had to go through in black baseball, I can only marvel at the many black players who stuck it out for years in the Jim Crow leagues because they had nowhere else to go.” – Jackie Robinson.
15. There’s not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.
16. “I don’t like needing anyone for anything.” – Jackie Robinson
17. “Oh no no, you tell that to the little boys playing baseball in Florida today. To them, you are a hero.”
18. If I had to choose between baseball’s Hall of Fame and first-class citizenship for all of my people. I would say first-class citizenship. “Jackie Robinson quotes”
19. “The most important thing that happened to me in 1948, as far as I am concerned, is that I got thrown out of a game for heckling an umpire. It happened in Pittsburgh.” – Jackie Robinson.
20. “It kills me to lose. If I’m a troublemaker, and I don’t think that my temper makes me one, then it’s because I can’t stand losing. That’s the way I am about winning, all I ever wanted to do was finish first.”
21. “I do not believe that every person, in every walk of life, can succeed despite any handicap. That would be perfection. But I do believe that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us (no matter how slowly) the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today; and perhaps the greatness of tomorrow.”
22. “I speak to you only as an American who happens to be an American Negro and one who is proud of that heritage. We ask for nothing special. We ask only that we be permitted to compete on an even basis, and if we are not worthy, then the competition shall, per se, eliminate us.”
23. Many people resented my impatience and honesty, but I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect.
24. Um, Mr. Brock, I’m just a ball player.
25. “There are more coming every day and they have got talent and they want to play.”
26. “Yell. Heckle. Do anything you want. We came here to play baseball.” – Jackie Robinson.
27. “God built me to last.”
28. “Negroes aren’t seeking anything which is not good for the nation as well as ourselves. For America to be 100 percent strong — economically, defensively, and morally — we cannot afford the waste of having second-and third-class citizens.”
29. “The way I figured it, I was even with baseball and baseball with me. The game had done much for me, and I had done much for it.”
30. “You don’t matter right now, Jack. You’re in this thing. You don’t have the right to pull out from the backing of people who believe in you, respect you, and who need you.” “Jackie Robinson quotes”
31. “Pop flies, in a sense, are just a diversion for a second baseman. Grounders are stock trade.” – Jackie Robinson
32. I don’t like needing anyone for anything.
33. I don’t think it matters what I believe, only what I do.
34. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, I’m right here!” – Jackie Robinson
35. “The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his dignity.” – Jackie Robinson
36. You give me a uniform, you give me a number on my back, I’ll give you the guts.”
37. “The way I am about winning, all I ever wanted to do was finish first.” – Jackie Robinson.
38. “Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion, you’re wasting your life.” – Jackie Robinson
39. “I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag. I know that I am a black man in a white world.”
40. Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion, you’re wasting your life. “Jackie Robinson quotes”
41. “Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he’s losing; nobody wants you to quit when you’re ahead.” – Jackie Robinson
42. “How you played in yesterday’s game is all that counts.” – Jackie Robinson.
43. “Negros aren’t seeking anything which is not good for the nation as well as ourselves. For America to be 100 percent strong — economically, defensively, and morally — we cannot afford the waste of having second and third-class citizens.”
44. “How you played in yesterday’s game is all that counts.” – Jackie Robinson
45. “Dodgers, ending a long period of segregation in Major League Baseball. It wound up being a momentous day not just in baseball history, but in the history of a country.” – Jackie Robinson.
46. “I don’t think it matters what I believe, only what I do.” – Jackie Robinson
47. “I know now that dreams do come true.” – Jackie Robinson.
48. “The only thing a manager has to do is relate to the players.” – Jackie Robinson.
49. “I ought to break this trophy into 32 pieces” – Jackie Robinson
50. “Discover the truth of today and perhaps find the greatness of tomorrow.” – Jackie Robinson.
51. “I was naïve about the elaborate lengths to which racists in the Armed Forces would go to put a vocal black man in his place.” “Jackie Robinson quotes”
52. I think if we go back and check our record, the Negro has proven beyond a doubt that we have been more than patient in seeking our rights as American citizens.
53. The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.
54. “Relationships may change throughout the gift of time, memories stay the same forever in my mind.” – Jackie Robinson
55. “I am not concerned with being liked or disliked. I am concerned with being respected” – Jackie Robinson
56. The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his dignity.
57. This ain’t fun. But you watch me, I’ll get it done.
58. “I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect.” – Jackie Robinson
59. “I guess you’d call me an independent since I’ve never identified myself with one party or another in politics. I always decide my vote by taking as careful a look as I can at the actual candidates and issues themselves, no matter what the party label.”
60. “Life is not a spectator sport.” – Jackie Robinson
61. The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his dignity.
62. “In those days a white ballplayer could look forward to some streak of luck or some reward for hard work to carry him into prominence or even stardom. What had the black player to hope for? What was his future?”
63. “Pop flies, in a sense, are just a diversion for a second baseman. Grounders are his stock trade.” “Jackie Robinson quotes”
64. “Next time I go to a movie and see a picture of a little ordinary girl becoming a great star, I’ll believe it. And whenever I hear my wife read fairy tales to my little boy, I’ll listen. I know now that dreams do come true.”
65. “I don’t let my mouth say nothing my head can’t stand.” – Jackie Robinson.
66. “There’s not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.” – Jackie Robinson
67. “I don’t think that I or any other Negro, as an American citizen, should have to ask for anything that is rightfully his. We are demanding that we just be given the things that are rightfully ours and that we’re not looking for anything else.”
68. “At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion when the National Anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else.”
69. “If Robinson can help us win, then he is gonna play on this ball club!”
70. “This ain’t fun. But you watch me, I’ll get it done.” – Jackie Robinson
71. Branch Rickey: Roses and sleep are two wonderful things, Burt. But sleep you can get when you’re in your casket, and flowers look great on top of it. But, uh, you don’t look like a dead man to me, Burt.”
72. No. I want a player who’s got the guts not to fight back
73. Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion, you’re wasting your life.
74. “It kills me to lose. If I’m a troublemaker, and I don’t think that my temper makes me one, then it’s because I can’t stand losing. That’s the way I am about winning, all I ever wanted to do was finish first.”
75. “I had to fight hard against loneliness, abuse, and the knowledge that any mistakes I made would be magnified because I was the only black man out there… I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect.”
76. “The many of us who attain what we may and forget those who help us along the line we’ve got to remember that there are so many others to pull along the way. The farther they go, the further we all go.” – Jackie Robinson
77. “At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion when the National Anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else.”
78. “Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he’s losing; nobody wants you to quit when you’re ahead.” “Jackie Robinson quotes”
79. “Are you looking for a Negro who won’t fight back?” – Jackie Robinson
80. “You want a player who doesn’t have the guts to fight back?” – Jackie Robinson
Going through Jackie Robinson’s powerful quotes, it’s like unlocking a treasure chest of wisdom.
Jackie Robinson’s final statement, “I never had it made,” had a profound impact on the entire nation.
His words aren’t just about baseball; they’re keys to facing challenges, standing up for what’s right, and inspiring us all to make positive changes.
Jackie’s quotes aren’t just history but timeless guides for courage and equality. You can make use of some of these quotes in your day-to-day conversation.
