Derek Jeter Quotations

There may be people who have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do - and I believe that.

You don't just accidentally show up in the World Series.

The Yankees have strict rules. You can have a mustache but no other facial hair.

I'm not a hermit, but I definitely stay in a lot more than I used to. There's more attention now then there ever was. You walk down the street with someone and it's a story. It becomes national news, you know what I mean? So, I still do things, but I stay home a lot more.

I try to sign for as many kids as possible. Kids come first, and I'll always sign for a kid before an adult.

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

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

Sometimes people complicate things by thinking too much about what someone might think of what they said or did.

I love it when people doubt me. It makes me work harder to prove them wrong.

My heroes, my dreams, and my future lay in Yankee Stadium. And they can't take that away from me.

For me, when I was a kid, volunteering was the last thing I was thinking about. When I see kids doing it now, it amazes me. It's very impressive, it gives them something productive to do as opposed to getting in trouble. For them to take time out at such a young age is remarkable. I think all kids should take a little time out to volunteer.

My dreams do not end with playing Major League Baseball.

I'm not perfect; no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. I think you try to learn from those mistakes.

You're playing a game, whether it's Little League or Game 7 of the Word Series. It's impossible to do well unless you're having a good time. People talk about pressure. Yeah, there's pressure. But I just look at it as fun.

Obviously, you're known for what you do. But you still want to be known as a good person. You're a person a lot longer before and after you're a professional athlete.

I'd like to get a degree. You ever see the movie 'Back to School?' I'll go back with my kids.

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

Don't get me wrong; it's not like I didn't go out and have fun. But there's been a lot of players that come to New York and get caught up in the lifestyle, and before you know it, they're sent away to another team because it affected their performance.

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.

My best vacation is somewhere I could hide, somewhere warm and not a lot of people around.

You know what I want to do? Wake up one weekend and not have to go anywhere and do nothing.

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

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've found that it's easier to stay in shape than it is to get into shape.

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

God, I hope I wear this jersey forever.

You're a person a lot longer before and after you're a professional athlete. People always say to me, 'Your image is this, your image is that.' Your image isn't your character. Character is what you are as a person. That's what I worry about.

The first thing to know about playing baseball in Michigan is, Michigan's really cold.

You forget about it whether it was 15-2 or 3-2. It's still a loss. It doesn't matter what the score was if we win tomorrow.

You gotta have fun. Regardless of how you look at it, we're playing a game. It's a business, it's our job, but I don't think you can do well unless you're having fun.

The last thing you want to do is finish playing or doing anything and wish you would have worked harder.

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.

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

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.

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

You can't be sensitive, because you're going to get criticized. I don't care who you are, you're going to get criticized.

I think there's something wrong with me - I like to win in everything I do, regardless of what it is. You want to race down the street, I want to beat you. If we're playing checkers, I want to win. You beat me, it's going to bother me. I just enjoy competition.

Any player that says they don't want to go to an All-Star Game is lying to you. It's something everyone wants to be a part of.

My office is at Yankee stadium. Yes, dreams do come true.

I went to school on Senior Skip Day.

I always have tried to treat people with respect, the way I want to be treated.

During the off-season, I go to the movies almost every day.

I wish I trusted people more. But when I meet someone, the first thing is, 'What does this person want?' And I put up a defense mechanism. But I've always been that way.

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

I think, a lot of times, players get in trouble when they're asked questions and they think they have to find a way to answer it. If you ask me a question and I say, 'I don't know,' there's really no follow-up.

I've never been an actor on Broadway, but it feels like you're on a stage when you play at Yankee Stadium. And that's the feeling I've always had.

I've been playing baseball since I was 5 or 6 years old. I've been on a schedule, pretty much, since I was in eighth, ninth grade. I look forward to not doing that.

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.

It's never over. You don't want to be in the position to be down four runs in the ninth inning, but it's not over until the last out.

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

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

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 have the greatest job in the world. Only one person can have it. You have shortstops on other teams - I'm not knocking other teams - but there's only one shortstop on the Yankees.

If I put my name on something, I'm going to be involved. I'm not just going to put my name on it and not pay attention.

I looked up to my parents because they were very successful in what they wanted to do. I was lucky; I didn't have to look far for role models.

That's how you win - pitching and defense.

The draft is a crapshoot, so I've been very fortunate to be drafted by the Yankees, and to have spent my whole career here.

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

I can have fun anywhere, as long as I'm with good people. But in the offseason, I like to go somewhere warm, a nice spot in the Caribbean.

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

I want to own a team one day. You know, that's my next goal.

I'm very, very competitive. If my grandmother asks to race me down the street, I'm going to try to beat her. And I'll probably enjoy it!

I've always been very aware of what I'm saying, but I'm also aware of what you're saying. I always want to make sure that my point is clear.

I've always had an interest in business, and my interest in business has really expanded over the years.

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.

You can't quantify everything a player does to win games.

I'm a New Yorker now, and believe me, there's no comparison between the Big Apple and Kalamazoo, no similarity at all. New York City's hectic, always in fast-forward, and Kalamazoo's more laid-back, smaller, slower.

I always appreciated the ex-players. Being a Yankee, you get spoiled. Old-Timers Day, all these guys coming back, spring training, being around them, you get a chance to get to know them. So I always think you learn a lot by listening.

The number one priority is playing baseball. There are so many people in New York trying to get you to do this and get you to do that, which is fine, but you have to take care of yourself.

I always used to get in trouble for talking too much. When it was time for parent-teacher conferences, I remember that I was always embarrassed about what my parents would hear about me!

You tell me you want to race down the street, I'm going to try to beat you. 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.

I like to dance and sing when there's no one around, but, if I'm out, I'm really shy about it. So it takes a lot to get me going, but I enjoy being around music.

I remember going from rookie ball to A, to double A, then to triple A. At every level it seemed like the game was faster. The bigger the situation, the more the game speeds up. That's all mental. It messes people up.

Through time you learn from your experiences. I think I've learned to deal with people a little bit better over time. That in particular has developed a little bit.

I get asked enough questions, I try not to ask too many questions.

I can see how people work out to feel better.

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.

The thing that means the most to me is being remembered as a Yankee, because that's what I've always wanted to be, was to be a Yankee.

Walking around sometimes, I would love to just be able to watch people, see how they act. Sometimes I would love to be invisible.

You hear about women buying shoes? I buy DVDs. I definitely have a problem.

I hate the treadmill. I hate it. You really don't have to be on it that long, something like 20 or 30 minutes. It's all about getting your heart rate up.

I've always been very cautious with what I do. You know, that started at a young age. I always had the approach or the mentality I never wanted to embarrass my parents.

There's feelings there, but I think I've just been pretty good at trying to hide my emotions throughout the years. I try to have the same demeanor each and every day.

I don't really see myself getting a Twitter account. Nothing against it. I get it. I especially get it for businesses.

You have to assume that everything you do is public knowledge. Everything. Because now everyone is a reporter. Everyone is a photographer.

I've always been uncomfortable, so to speak, when the focus is on me.

My dad had been shortstop when he was in college, and you know, when you're a kid, you want to be just like your dad.

No former player has owned a team in baseball.

I was available to play yesterday. He wanted me to have the day off.

On the field everybody needs to be on the same page, that's the only thing I concern myself with. You're not here to put up stats. You're here to win.

Nobody knows where it's going, up, down, left or right. He pitched well.

I wouldn't change it for the world. Have there ever been days where I wished I was this or I wished I was that? ... No, It's always been a positive.

My hero's, my dreams, and my future lie in Yankee Stadium and they can't take that from me.

Oh, yeah, just because of the moment. You know, it's not the first time that I heard it. It's just I was so proud. It was just the first day back home.

Moose, don't tell me you're throwing all your pitches yet, are you?

I don't have to sell Rocket on playing in New York. He's had success here and he enjoyed his time here.

There are people on this team who have had great individual seasons, put up numbers, won awards, done this or that, but the bottom line is that we're trying to win. Who cares what numbers you put up, what accolades you get; you want to win. If we're going to win, we have to do the little things.

Let them keep taking shots. He had a pretty good year last year.

I didn't have any idea. I didn't sit down and read the whole rulebook before I came here.

From what I understand he never mentioned my name. My name was brought into it, but it never came out of his mouth.