Famous Yogisms: Remembering the Legendary Hall of Famer Yogi Berra

Baseball Hall of Famer and New York Yankee legend Yogi Berra died at the age of 90 on Tuesday. Berra, who was known for his malapropisms and contradictory phrases, was beloved by multiple generations of fans and players for his approachable, generous and humble character.

We thought it best to list a few of the most memorable Yogisms, courtesy of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center at Montclair State University in northern New Jersey, which he opened in 1998. Here they are for your entertainment, just as Yogi would’ve liked:

Famous Yogisms

“It ain’t over ’til it’s over”

“It’s deja vu all over again”

“When you come to a fork in the road … take it”

“I usually take a two hour nap from one to four”

“Never answer an anonymous letter”

“I didn’t really say everything I said”

“I want to thank you for making this day necessary”

“We made too many wrong mistakes”

“You can observe a lot by watching”

“The future ain’t what it used to be”

“It gets late early out here”

“If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be”

“If the people don’t want to come out to the ballpark,
nobody’s going to stop them”

“Pair up in threes”

“Why buy good luggage, you only use it when you travel”

He was born Lawrence “Larry” Berra to Italian immigrant parents in St. Louis, Mo., on May 12, 1925 and acquired the nickname “Yogi” when a childhood friend observed that he resembled a Hindu yogi in a movie they saw. Berra is survived by his three sons, all of whom are athletes, and 11 grandchildren.

Did you know?

• Baseball stat guru Bill James, known for his win shares formula, declared that Berra was the greatest catcher of all time.
• Berra won three American League MVP awards, was a 15-time All Star, helped his team with 10 World Series Championships, and is remembered as a clutch hitter.
• In 1957, he became the first World Series pinch-hitter to hit a home run.
• Berra once went 148 games without making an error and famously caught two no-hitters, both by Allie Reynolds in 1951, and one perfect game, by Don Larsen in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
• Berra, who attended school until the 8th grade, first served in the Navy during World War II and fought during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, despite signing with the Yankees in 1943. Berra decided to enlist before putting on the pinstripes in the fall of 1946.