--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never smile when I have a bat in my…" description: "\"I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when you've got to be serious.\" — Hank Aaron" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/hank-aaron-7857_american-baseball_i-never-smile-when-i-have-a-bat-in-my-ha_703729.jpg" --- # I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when… ![“I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when you've got to be serious.” quote by Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/hank-aaron-7857_american-baseball_i-never-smile-when-i-have-a-bat-in-my-ha_703729.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/hank-aaron-7857_american-baseball_i-never-smile-when-i-have-a-bat-in-my-ha_703729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/hank-aaron-7857_american-baseball_i-never-smile-when-i-have-a-bat-in-my-ha_703729.jpg) > “I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when you've got to be serious.” [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A serious demeanor is required when handling a bat, implying focus over casualness. **In simple terms:** Take the game seriously. Key Takeaway Play with focus and respect. Themes sports focus seriousness Mood determined focused Type motivational athletic When to use this quote - training - competition - coaching Key Concepts athletic discipline mental preparation professionalism Questions to Reflect On - How does seriousness impact performance? - When is relaxation appropriate in sport? A Different Perspective Intensity may stifle enjoyment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-baseball/) [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Bat Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bat-hands-1852658/) [Bats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bats/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hands Ve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands-ve-5566016/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile/) [Smile Bat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile-bat-4287079/) [Smile on my face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile-on-my-face/) ## Related quotes > [I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when you've got to be serious. When I get out on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-never-smile-when-i-have-a-bat-in-my-hands-that-s-when-you-ve-got-to-2/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I am truly happy with what I've got. But if I could alter something, it would be my hands. I've never been satisfied with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-herrera/i-am-truly-happy-with-what-i-ve-got-but-if-i-could-alter-something-it/) [Carolina Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolina-herrera/) > [I try to walk around with a smile on my face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-damon/i-try-to-walk-around-with-a-smile-on-my-face/) [Johnny Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-damon/) > [I don't need to practice my swing. I grew up with a bat in my hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dean-morgan/i-don-t-need-to-practice-my-swing-i-grew-up-with-a-bat-in-my-hands/) [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dean-morgan/) > [“They smile that smile, they bat those eyes. They steal with hello, they kill you with goodbye. They're the perfect drug. As you're walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-mccreery/they-smile-that-smile-they-bat-those-eyes-they-steal-with-hello-they/) [Scotty McCreery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-mccreery/) > [You smile that smile, you bat them eyes. You steal me with hello and you kill me with goodbye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-forgotten/you-smile-that-smile-you-bat-them-eyes-you-steal-me-with-hello-and/) [The Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-forgotten/) > [Baseball, to me, is still the national pastime because it is a summer game. I feel that almost all Americans are summer people, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-busby/baseball-to-me-is-still-the-national-pastime-because-it-is-a-summer/) [Steve Busby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-busby/) > [A game of great charm in the adoption of mathematical measurements to the timing of human movements, the exactitudes and adjustments of physical ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-rickey/a-game-of-great-charm-in-the-adoption-of-mathematical-measurements-to/) [Branch Rickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-rickey/) > [May the sun never set on American baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/may-the-sun-never-set-on-american-baseball/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [I've been watching American baseball on television for a long time, but it was only in recent years that, realistically, I've been thinking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideki-matsui/i-ve-been-watching-american-baseball-on-television-for-a-long-time/) [Hideki Matsui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideki-matsui/) > [The sentimentality of baseball is very deeply rooted in the American baseball fan. It is the one sport that is transmitted from fathers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-sentimentality-of-baseball-is-very-deeply-rooted-in-the-american/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [What I'd really like to give a try is cricket, because I grew up playing American baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-london/what-i-d-really-like-to-give-a-try-is-cricket-because-i-grew-up/) [Jeremy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-london/) > [I see great things in baseball. It's our game - the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-see-great-things-in-baseball-it-s-our-game-the-american-game-it/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [It is decidedly not true that "nice guys finish last," as that highly original American baseball philosopher, Leo Durocher, was alleged to have said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/it-is-decidedly-not-true-that-nice-guys-finish-last-as-that-highly/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [As American as an apple is and as American as baseball is, they don't go together. You can't be chewing an apple at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-james/as-american-as-an-apple-is-and-as-american-as-baseball-is-they-don-t/) [Kevin James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-james/) ## More by Hank Aaron > [If I knew exactly what I know now and had it to do over, I'd be a switch hitter. No telling what I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/if-i-knew-exactly-what-i-know-now-and-had-it-to-do-over-i-d-be-a/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I think what separates a superstar from the average ballplayer is that he concentrates just a little bit longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-think-what-separates-a-superstar-from-the-average-ballplayer-is/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I've tried a lot of things in the off-season, but the only thing I really know is baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-ve-tried-a-lot-of-things-in-the-off-season-but-the-only-thing-i/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I had many, many, many death threats. I couldn't open letters for a long time, because they all had to be opened by either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-had-many-many-many-death-threats-i-couldn-t-open-letters-for-a-long/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [Last year, I was sort of a kid and I was a little scared, I ain't scared any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/last-year-i-was-sort-of-a-kid-and-i-was-a-little-scared-i-ain-t/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I played sometimes about as dull as you can play it. I did things the right way, you know. I think I modeled my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-played-sometimes-about-as-dull-as-you-can-play-it-i-did-things-the/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I thought my chances to make the Braves were better and that they were being fairer to me, paying me more money to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-thought-my-chances-to-make-the-braves-were-better-and-that-they/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-bed-of-roses-all-your-life/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I tell young people - including my granddaughter - there is no shortcut in life. You have to take it one step at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-tell-young-people-including-my-granddaughter-there-is-no-shortcut/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [People were not ready to accept me as a baseball player. The easiest part of that whole thing, chasing the Babe's record, was playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/people-were-not-ready-to-accept-me-as-a-baseball-player-the-easiest/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [Too bad integration didn't come sooner, because there were so many ballplayers that could have made the major leagues. That's why, you look back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/too-bad-integration-didn-t-come-sooner-because-there-were-so-many/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [Failure is a part of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/failure-is-a-part-of-success/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [“The day I become content is the day I cease to be anything more than a man who hit home runs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/the-day-i-become-content-is-the-day-i-cease-to-be-anything-more-than/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I don't see pitches down the middle anymore - not even in batting practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-don-t-see-pitches-down-the-middle-anymore-not-even-in-batting/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [Some people resented the fact I was trying to break a white man's record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/some-people-resented-the-fact-i-was-trying-to-break-a-white-man-s/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) [Explore all 86 Hank Aaron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) ## More American baseball quotes > [I've been watching American baseball on television for a long time, but it was only in recent years that, realistically, I've been thinking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideki-matsui/i-ve-been-watching-american-baseball-on-television-for-a-long-time/) [Hideki Matsui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideki-matsui/) > [It is decidedly not true that "nice guys finish last," as that highly original American baseball philosopher, Leo Durocher, was alleged to have said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/it-is-decidedly-not-true-that-nice-guys-finish-last-as-that-highly/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I try to walk around with a smile on my face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-damon/i-try-to-walk-around-with-a-smile-on-my-face/) [Johnny Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-damon/) > [I see great things in baseball. It's our game - the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-see-great-things-in-baseball-it-s-our-game-the-american-game-it/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [What I'd really like to give a try is cricket, because I grew up playing American baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-london/what-i-d-really-like-to-give-a-try-is-cricket-because-i-grew-up/) [Jeremy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-london/) > [The sentimentality of baseball is very deeply rooted in the American baseball fan. It is the one sport that is transmitted from fathers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-sentimentality-of-baseball-is-very-deeply-rooted-in-the-american/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [Baseball, to me, is still the national pastime because it is a summer game. I feel that almost all Americans are summer people, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-busby/baseball-to-me-is-still-the-national-pastime-because-it-is-a-summer/) [Steve Busby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-busby/) > [A game of great charm in the adoption of mathematical measurements to the timing of human movements, the exactitudes and adjustments of physical ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-rickey/a-game-of-great-charm-in-the-adoption-of-mathematical-measurements-to/) [Branch Rickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-rickey/) > [May the sun never set on American baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/may-the-sun-never-set-on-american-baseball/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [As American as an apple is and as American as baseball is, they don't go together. You can't be chewing an apple at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-james/as-american-as-an-apple-is-and-as-american-as-baseball-is-they-don-t/) [Kevin James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-james/) > [If you don't think baseball is a big deal, don't do it. But if you do, do it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/if-you-don-t-think-baseball-is-a-big-deal-don-t-do-it-but-if-you-do/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [I stare out the window and wait for spring,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-stare-out-the-window-and-wait-for-spring/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) [Browse all 13 American baseball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-baseball/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. 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