Yogi Berra (1925-2015)


Baseball player Yogi Berra — whose birth name was Lawrence Peter Berra — died yesterday. Normally announcements of this sort on Daily Nous are reserved for academic philosophers, but I thought it would be appropriate to note the death of someone who is well known for sayings that have provoked the public to thoughts of puzzlement and paradox — and in such an amusing way.

A few quotes:

“I never said most of the things I said.”

“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.”

“There are some people who, if they don’t already know, you can’t tell ’em.”

“It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much.”

“The future ain’t what it used to be.”

“I wish I had an answer to that because I’m tired of answering that question.”

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

I understand he had some achievements in baseball, too. The New York Times has an obituary.

Yogi Berra

Warwick University MA in Philosophy
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recent grad
recent grad
8 years ago

I think he was trying to explain his position on the ideal/non-ideal theory debate with that second quote. And he’s clearly providing his gloss on Reid in the third.

Dale Miller
8 years ago

Nobody liked Berra. He was too popular.

Sara L. Uckelman
8 years ago

Over on twitter, Tamer Nawar (@Tamer_Nawar) has been playing “Yogi Berra or Ancient Greek Philosopher?” quote pairing. They’re pretty funny.

Tom Hurka
Tom Hurka
8 years ago

The local sports radio station (a source of real information) suggested that Yogi didn’t actually say those things; they were mostly the invention of creative sports writers — and they were more creative in those days. But he was a hell of a ballplayer.

Yogi Berra Epicurus
Yogi Berra Epicurus
8 years ago

“The point of life is pleasure. That’s why you should avoid the things that make you feel good.”

Yogi Berra Zhuangzi
Yogi Berra Zhuangzi
8 years ago

If you think doing something is hard, try doing nothing.

Yogi Berra Quine
Yogi Berra Quine
8 years ago

Just because something’s true by definition doesn’t mean that it’s definitely true.

Yogi Berra (Graham) Priest
Yogi Berra (Graham) Priest
8 years ago

Most of the things I said were true, but some of them were also false.

Yogi Berra Lewis
Yogi Berra Lewis
8 years ago

Just because it’s real doesn’t mean it actually exists.

Yogi Bertie Russell
Yogi Bertie Russell
8 years ago

“The only club I’m in is the one that won’t have me as a member.”

Yogi Berra Epictetus
Yogi Berra Epictetus
8 years ago

when other people harm you its not other people that are harming you

Yogi Berra Whitehead
Yogi Berra Whitehead
8 years ago

Presentational immediacy always beats causal efficacy–or vice-versa.

Yogi Berra Railton
Yogi Berra Railton
8 years ago

There’s something better that I could be doing but it’s better that I’m not.

Yogi Berra Mill
Yogi Berra Mill
8 years ago

The greatest good is feeling too good to feel.

Yogi Berra Socrates
Yogi Berra Socrates
8 years ago

Everything I know I know because I know I know nothing.

Yogi Berra Aquinas
Yogi Berra Aquinas
8 years ago

The simplest things are always the most complicated.

Yogi Berra McTaggart
Yogi Berra McTaggart
8 years ago

“The future ain’t what it used to be.”