“Ain’t no man can avoid being born average, but there ain’t no man got to be common.”
~Satchel Paige, American baseball player
Attributed by sports writer Jim Raglin (c. 1957) “Change of Pace,” Jim Raglin, Lincoln Evening Journal & Nebraska State Journal, p. 8, column 1; online via Newspapers.com [subscription service] www.newspapers.com
Re-quote note: Paige also received credit for the quote in an earlier column by Florida sports editor Bill McGrotha. The quote shared by McGrotha also came from a second-hand source, and the wording was slightly different:
“McLemore also passed on some of the philosophy of Satchel Paige, the ancient pitcher who last year hurled for the Miami Marlins. “There ain’t no man who can avoid being born average,” says Paige, “but there ain’t no man that’s gotta be common.” (p. 17, column 1)
[Source: Bill McGrotha, ‘From the Sidelines’ column, “Has to Be Good” (6 November 1957) Tallahassee Democrat, Vol. XLIII, No. 310, Tallahassee, FL, p. 17, column 1; online via Newspapers.com [subscription service] www.newspapers.com]
Extended excerpt [From a newspaper sports column. Quote appears under subheading ‘This ‘n That.’]
“Paige’s latest philosophical gem is, ‘There ain’t no man can avoid being born average. But there ain’t no man got to be common.” (p. 8, column 1)
Source links [Featured quote]: “Change of Pace” (26 July 1958) Lincoln Evening Journal & Nebraska State Journal; online via Newspapers.com [subscription service]: https://www.newspapers.com/image/312731595/?terms=%22Ain%27t%2Bno%2Bman%2Bcan%2Bavoid%2Bbeing%2Bborn%2Baverage%22
Source link [Earlier source]: “Has to Be Good” (6 November 1957) Tallahassee Democrat; online via Newspapers.com [subscription service]: https://www.newspapers.com/image/245108955/?terms=%22can%2Bavoid%2Bbeing%2Bborn%2Baverage%22
“Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”
~Satchel Paige, American baseball player
Number six on a list of six Paige recommendations for “How to Stay Young” (June 1953) “Time Ain’t Gonna Mess with Me,” Ray Donovan, Collier’s Magazine, 13 June 1953, Springfield, OH: Crowell-Collier Publishing Co., p. 55
Misquote note: News writers began to misquote or paraphrase Paige’s original Collier’s quote not long after his interview was published in June 1953. The most common misquote switched out Paige’s original “something” for “someone.”
Original quote: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”
Misquote: “Don’t look back, someone might be gaining on you.”
Extended excerpt:
Source link: xx
“Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”
~Satchel Paige, American baseball player
Partial response to a question about his “secret of durability,” “Satchel Paige May Quit Baseball for Hollywood” (2 October 1959) Associated Press interview, Hal Boyle, in The Hammond Times, Vol. LIV, No. 91, Hammond-East Chicago, IN, 2 October 1959, p. A-4, column 6; online via Newspapers.com [subscription service] www.newspapers.com
Extended excerpt [Newspaper interview, conducted in New York by the Associated Press (AP). Spelling of ‘activefied’ as it appears in original source.]:
“Asked his secret of durability, Satch said: “Get your rest, eat light, keep busy, and don’t agitate yourself if you want to stay activefied. I could tell you I did it by eating radishes, but it’s the Man upstairs who keeps me moving around.
“Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.” (p. A-4, column 6)
Source note: As of June 2018, the source date appears incorrectly in the Newspapers.com search results & page heading. Newspapers.com shows a heading date of 1 September 1959 – but actual newspaper page views on the site confirm the source was published on 2 October 1959.
Source link: “Satchel Paige May Quit Baseball for Hollywood” (2 October 1959) The Hammond Times; online via Newspapers.com [subscription service]: https://www.newspapers.com/image/54726160/?terms=%22don%27t%2Bpray%2Bwhen%2Bit%2Brains%2Bif%2Byou%2Bdon%27t%2Bpray%2Bwhen%2Bthe%2Bsun%2Bshines%22
“I ain’t as fast as I used to be, but I’m a better pitcher. I used to overpower ’em; now I out-cute ’em.”
~Satchel Paige, American baseball player
“39-Year-Old Satchel Paige Can Out Cute the Batters” (8 July 1948) Beatrice Daily Sun, Vol. XLV, No. 306, Beatrice, NE, p. 8, column 6; online via Newspapers.com [subscription service] www.newspapers.com
Re-quote note: Paige’s quote is often repeated with the full word “them” in place of Paige’s original, abbreviated “’em”:
“I ain’t as fast as I used to be, but I’m a better pitcher. I used to overpower them; now I out-cute them.”
Extended excerpt [Interview by the Associated Press]:
“Satchel has been pitching for 20 years or more but he only admits to 39 years of age.
“I ain’t as fast as I used to be,” he remarked, “but I’m a better pitcher. I used to overpower ‘em; now I out-cute ’em.” (p. 8, column 6)
Source link: “39-Year-Old Satchel Paige Can Out Cute the Batters” (8 July 1948) Beatrice Daily Sun; online via Newspapers.com [subscription service]: https://www.newspapers.com/image/15013662/?terms=%22I%2Bain%27t%2Bas%2Bfast%2Bas%2BI%2Bused%2Bto%2Bbe%22%2B%2B%2B%22Satchel%2BPaige%22
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