“You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat.”
— Christy Mathewson

“A boy cannot begin playing ball too early. I might almost say that while he is still creeping on all fours, he should have a bouncing rubber ball.”
— Christy Mathewson

“A young ballplayer looks on his first spring training trip as a stage struck young woman regards the theatre.”
— Christy Mathewson

“I owe everything I have to them when I’m out there on the mound. But I owe the fans nothing, and they owe me nothing, when I am not pitching.”
— Christy Mathewson

“If you’ve ever been around a group of actors, you’ve noticed, no doubt, that they can talk of nothing else under the sun but acting. It’s exactly the same way with baseball players. Your heart must be in your work.”
— Christy Mathewson

“Many baseball fans look upon an umpire as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile.”
— Christy Mathewson

“You must have an alibi to show why you lost. If you haven’t one, you must fake one. Your self-confidence must be maintained.”
— Christy Mathewson