I wish Yogi Berra also rode horses.
If you’re not familiar with the Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees, he won 10 World Series titles, more than any player in baseball history, during a career that spanned 19 seasons from 1946 to 1965. He was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player and an 18-time All-Star.
Berra also served in the United States Navy as a gunner’s mate during World War II and was part of the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, shooting down enemy planes from a landing craft support boat. He earned a Purple Heart and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
However, Yogi is remembered just as much, if not more, for a treasure trove of witty sayings. When first reading them, they come across as absurd, humorous, and lighthearted. But, upon reflection, they are a mix of genius and amused wonder about life’s complexities.
For example, the Yogism of “When you come to a fork in the road, take it” is also the title of one of several books he authored. Let’s break that down: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Well, what else would you do at a fork in the road? But should you go left or go right?
“People are always afraid of making the wrong choice,” Berra wrote. “But no matter what decision you make—taking a job, getting married, buying a house, whatever it is—you shouldn’t look back. Trust your instincts.”
