---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I hit a home run I usually didn't…"
description: "\"When I hit a home run I usually didn't care where it went. So long as it was a home run was all that mattered.\" — Mickey Mantle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/mickey-mantle-3879_care_when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-c_2846366.jpg"
---

#  When I hit a home run I usually didn't care where it went…

![“When I hit a home run I usually didn't care where it went. So long as it was a home run was all that mattered.” quote by Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/mickey-mantle-3879_care_when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-c_2846366.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/mickey-mantle-3879_care_when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-c_2846366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/mickey-mantle-3879_care_when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-c_2846366.jpg)

> “When I hit a home run I usually didn't care where it went. So long as it was a home run was all that mattered.”

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The result (home run) mattered more than the specifics of how it happened.

**In simple terms:** Only the home run mattered.

Key Takeaway

Focus on outcomes over process details.

Themes

sports goal‑orientation success

Mood

determined pragmatic

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- business targets
- project completion
- personal milestones

Key Concepts

performance motivation achievement

Questions to Reflect On

- What process improvements can you make?
- How do you celebrate outcomes?

A Different Perspective

Process can teach valuable lessons.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Home run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home-run/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/)

## Related quotes

> [The hardest thing to do in sports, I think, is to hit a home run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/the-hardest-thing-to-do-in-sports-i-think-is-to-hit-a-home-run/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [As a first baseman, hitting home runs is what's expected of me. But I don't really try to hit home runs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrek-lee/as-a-first-baseman-hitting-home-runs-is-what-s-expected-of-me-but-i/)

[Derrek Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrek-lee/)

> [It's not like you can aim for a home run and hit a home run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideki-matsui/it-s-not-like-you-can-aim-for-a-home-run-and-hit-a-home-run/)

[Hideki Matsui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideki-matsui/)

> [You can hit a home run. If you are honest, you'll know when it's perfect because at that critical moment of connection, there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-hit-a-home-run-if-you-are-honest-you-ll-know-when-it-s/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [No one hit home runs the way Babe (Ruth) did. They were something special. They were like homing pigeons. The ball would leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lefty-gomez/no-one-hit-home-runs-the-way-babe-ruth-did-they-were-something/)

[Lefty Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lefty-gomez/)

> [The thing I like about baseball is that it's one-on-one. You stand up there alone, and if you make a mistake, it's your mistake.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/the-thing-i-like-about-baseball-is-that-it-s-one-on-one-you-stand-up/)

[Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/)

> [It's always nice to hit a home run, no matter if it's your first or your last. It's always fun, especially for me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trea-turner/it-s-always-nice-to-hit-a-home-run-no-matter-if-it-s-your-first-or/)

[Trea Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trea-turner/)

> [I couldn't hit a home run to save my life, and I was a sucker for the curveball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooks-koepka/i-couldn-t-hit-a-home-run-to-save-my-life-and-i-was-a-sucker-for-the/)

[Brooks Koepka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooks-koepka/)

> [To hit a home run is really hard. So why not enjoy it when we do it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-tatis-jr/to-hit-a-home-run-is-really-hard-so-why-not-enjoy-it-when-we-do-it/)

[Fernando Tatis Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-tatis-jr/)

> [“For the briefest of seconds, it was like he looked back into the stands, like maybe he spotted me, shaking my rattle, giving him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/for-the-briefest-of-seconds-it-was-like-he-looked-back-into-the/)

[Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/)

> [“Born on third base, my daddy always said of the well off, and they think they hit a home run.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/born-on-third-base-my-daddy-always-said-of-the-well-off-and-they/)

[Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/)

> [“You’re not going to always hit a home run in life. You’re going to strike out! You’re going to walk to the dugout of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-baratono/you-re-not-going-to-always-hit-a-home-run-in-life-you-re-going-to/)

[Ron Baratono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-baratono/)

> [They'll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/they-ll-put-a-man-on-the-moon-before-i-hit-a-home-run/)

[Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/)

> [You don't hope to go up and hit a single. You go up and hope to hit a home run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chandler/you-don-t-hope-to-go-up-and-hit-a-single-you-go-up-and-hope-to-hit-a/)

[Michael Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chandler/)

> [If you want to hit home runs, you've go to swing a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-ruth/if-you-want-to-hit-home-runs-you-ve-go-to-swing-a-lot/)

[Babe Ruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-ruth/)

## More by Mickey Mantle

> [To get a better piece of chicken, you'd have to be a rooster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/to-get-a-better-piece-of-chicken-you-d-have-to-be-a-rooster/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [I wanted to throw my glass at the TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/i-wanted-to-throw-my-glass-at-the-tv/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [I guess you could say I'm what this country is all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/i-guess-you-could-say-i-m-what-this-country-is-all-about/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [Of course, I didn't tell you about all the times I said I was going to hit one and it didn't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/of-course-i-didn-t-tell-you-about-all-the-times-i-said-i-was-going-to/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [Heroes are people who are all good with no bad in them. That's the way I always saw Joe DiMaggio. He was beyond question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/heroes-are-people-who-are-all-good-with-no-bad-in-them-that-s-the-way/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [If you want to know who was better, me or Willie Mays, you have to look at our career stats. And Willie's bottom line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/if-you-want-to-know-who-was-better-me-or-willie-mays-you-have-to-look/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [My views are just about the same as Casey's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/my-views-are-just-about-the-same-as-casey-s/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [He who has the fastest golf cart never has a bad lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/he-who-has-the-fastest-golf-cart-never-has-a-bad-lie/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [I hated to bat against Drysdale. After he hit you he'd come around, look at the bruise on your arm and say, 'Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/i-hated-to-bat-against-drysdale-after-he-hit-you-he-d-come-around/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [Hey man! Get away from me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/hey-man-get-away-from-me/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [After I hit a home run I had a habit of running the bases with my head down. I figured the pitcher already felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/after-i-hit-a-home-run-i-had-a-habit-of-running-the-bases-with-my/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [When I'm hitting, I'd play for nothing. When I'm not, any kind of money I receive makes me feel as if I'm stealing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/when-i-m-hitting-i-d-play-for-nothing-when-i-m-not-any-kind-of-money/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [A team is where a boy can prove his courage on his own. A gang is where a coward goes to hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/a-team-is-where-a-boy-can-prove-his-courage-on-his-own-a-gang-is/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [His fielding leaves you wondering. Then he steps up to hit and all doubts start to fade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/his-fielding-leaves-you-wondering-then-he-steps-up-to-hit-and-all/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

> [Billy (Martin) was a great one for jokes. He liked to play a joke more than anyone I ever knew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/billy-martin-was-a-great-one-for-jokes-he-liked-to-play-a-joke-more/)

[Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

[Explore all 120 Mickey Mantle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/)

## More Care quotes

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/)

[Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/)

[James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/)

[Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

[Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I hit a home run I usually didn't care where it went. So long as it was a home run was all that mattered.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mickey Mantle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-care-where-it-went-so-long-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Care"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-care-where-it-went-so-long-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/mickey-mantle-3879_care_when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-c_2846366.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/mickey-mantle-3879_care_when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-c_2846366.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/mickey-mantle-3879_care_when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-c_2846366.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I hit a home run I usually didn't care where it went. So long as it was a home run was all that mattered.” — Mickey Mantle",
                "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": "Mickey Mantle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I hit a home run...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-care-where-it-went-so-long-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/when-i-hit-a-home-run-i-usually-didn-t-care-where-it-went-so-long-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
