--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It took me 17 years to get threethousand…" description: "\"It took me 17 years to get threethousand hits in baseball.It took me one afternoon on a golf course\" — Hank Aaron" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/hank-aaron-7857_baseball_it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand_2006074.jpg" --- # It took me 17 years to get threethousand hits in… ![“It took me 17 years to get threethousand hits in baseball.It took me one afternoon on a golf course” quote by Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/hank-aaron-7857_baseball_it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand_2006074.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/hank-aaron-7857_baseball_it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand_2006074.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/hank-aaron-7857_baseball_it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand_2006074.jpg) > “It took me 17 years to get threethousand hits in baseball.It took me one afternoon on a golf course” [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. Consistent effort over many years can be eclipsed by a single focused effort, showing the power of concentrated practice. **In simple terms:** Long effort vs. focused burst; both matter. Key Takeaway Leverage focused practice for rapid gains. Themes sports perseverance focus Mood motivational pragmatic Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - training sessions - career milestones - goal setting Key Concepts skill acquisition performance spikes effort distribution Questions to Reflect On - What single effort could accelerate your progress? - How do you balance long‑term work with short bursts? A Different Perspective One‑off bursts may not sustain long‑term success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Golf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf/) [Golf course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf-course/) ## Related quotes > [It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. It took one afternoon on the golf course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/it-took-me-seventeen-years-to-get-three-thousand-hits-in-baseball-it/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/it-took-me-seventeen-years-to-get-three-thousand-hits-in-baseball-i/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [When it comes to being badass nothing beats this It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-messi/when-it-comes-to-being-badass-nothing-beats-this-it-took-me-17-years/) [Lionel Messi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-messi/) > [It took me 17 years to become a U.S. citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/it-took-me-17-years-to-become-a-u-s-citizen/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [“It took me seventeen years to get 3,000 hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.” —George Herman “Babe” Ruth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-took-me-seventeen-years-to-get-3-000-hits-in-baseball-i-did-it-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And it took me, since I was 17 and left home, running from God, to now, as a 30-year-old man, when I honestly feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stapp/and-it-took-me-since-i-was-17-and-left-home-running-from-god-to-now/) [Scott Stapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stapp/) > [I took 'Grease' to play my trump card, my voice, and get attention that would lead to auditions for serious work like 'Angels in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-took-grease-to-play-my-trump-card-my-voice-and-get-attention-that/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [“I am 18 years old, that's for sure, OFFICIALLY... no need to hide anymore my age or to try to fake it for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/i-am-18-years-old-that-s-for-sure-officially-no-need-to-hide-anymore/) Deyth Banger > [I've been a Dolphin for 17 years, and I'll be a Dolphin for the rest of my life. That will never change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-marino/i-ve-been-a-dolphin-for-17-years-and-i-ll-be-a-dolphin-for-the-rest/) [Dan Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-marino/) > [I never really looked at Formula One like that was the long-term goal. I obviously dreamed, and my aspirations were to get to Formula…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-stroll/i-never-really-looked-at-formula-one-like-that-was-the-long-term-goal/) [Lance Stroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-stroll/) > [I've been in the industry for 17 years. I am over that phase of wanting my first watch, car etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudha-kongara/i-ve-been-in-the-industry-for-17-years-i-am-over-that-phase-of/) [Sudha Kongara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudha-kongara/) > [I spent 17 years at Real Madrid and nobody can doubt that I'm a 'madridista.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul/i-spent-17-years-at-real-madrid-and-nobody-can-doubt-that-i-m-a/) [Raul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul/) > [I will have some time off, do some media works, and I think, for 17 years, I have given everything I could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-carney/i-will-have-some-time-off-do-some-media-works-and-i-think-for-17/) [Karen Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-carney/) > [Here we are 17 years later. Those agencies never did come through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-rifkin/here-we-are-17-years-later-those-agencies-never-did-come-through/) [Jeremy Rifkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-rifkin/) > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## 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 Baseball quotes > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [When you're in the middle of a pennant race, you can't go up there thinking about home runs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-sosa/when-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-pennant-race-you-can-t-go-up-there/) [Sammy Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-sosa/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) > [Pitchers pitch differently. Hitters, hardly anyone has the same stance. That's just how it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zimmerman/pitchers-pitch-differently-hitters-hardly-anyone-has-the-same-stance/) [Ryan Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zimmerman/) > [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/) [Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/) > [I don't want the electronic strike zone. I like the element of sometimes pitches don't get called. Guys don't receive it well or whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/i-don-t-want-the-electronic-strike-zone-i-like-the-element-of/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-sang-the-national-anthem-at-dodger-stadium-at-a-baseball-game-which/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [If I was going to make one rule change, I would bring the DH to the National League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-brett/if-i-was-going-to-make-one-rule-change-i-would-bring-the-dh-to-the/) [George Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-brett/) > [In all honesty, once you become a professional, number one, you're no longer a fan. I don't root for the Dodgers, really. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-scully/in-all-honesty-once-you-become-a-professional-number-one-you-re-no/) [Vin Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-scully/) > [I'll tell you what's helped me my entire life. I look at baseball as a game. It's something where people can go out, enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-caray/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-helped-me-my-entire-life-i-look-at-baseball-as-a/) [Harry Caray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-caray/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [What we should have done is kept the same team that played in the '95 World Series. Those trades (Eddie Murray & Carlos Baerga)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-belle/what-we-should-have-done-is-kept-the-same-team-that-played-in-the-95/) [Albert Belle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-belle/) > [“I can buy baseball cards to view an entire career on the back of a little square of cardboard. But nobody sells major league…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg-jr/i-can-buy-baseball-cards-to-view-an-entire-career-on-the-back-of-a/) [John Ortberg Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg-jr/) > [The wind always seems to blow against catchers when they are running.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/the-wind-always-seems-to-blow-against-catchers-when-they-are-running/) [Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/) [Browse all 7,461 Baseball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It took me 17 years to get threethousand hits in baseball.It took me one afternoon on a golf course", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hank Aaron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand-hits-in-baseball-it-took-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Baseball" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand-hits-in-baseball-it-took-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/hank-aaron-7857_baseball_it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand_2006074.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/hank-aaron-7857_baseball_it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand_2006074.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/hank-aaron-7857_baseball_it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand_2006074.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It took me 17 years to get threethousand hits in baseball.It took me one afternoon on a golf course” — Hank Aaron", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hank Aaron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It took me 17 years to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand-hits-in-baseball-it-took-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/it-took-me-17-years-to-get-threethousand-hits-in-baseball-it-took-me/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```