--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't hit what you can't see; I float…" description: "\"You can't hit what you can't see; I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!\" — Walter Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/walter-johnson-29912_baseball_you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float_726255.jpg" --- # You can't hit what you can't see; I float like a butterfly… ![“You can't hit what you can't see; I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!” quote by Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/walter-johnson-29912_baseball_you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float_726255.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/walter-johnson-29912_baseball_you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float_726255.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/walter-johnson-29912_baseball_you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float_726255.jpg) > “You can't hit what you can't see; I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!” [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One cannot defeat unseen opponents; agility and precision combine to overcome challenges. **In simple terms:** You can't hit what you can't see; be swift and sting. Key Takeaway Use speed and precision. Themes strategy agility precision combat Mood confident energetic Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - self-defense - sports training - competitive strategy Key Concepts tactics mind-body coordination surprise attacks Questions to Reflect On - How can you anticipate hidden threats? - When is speed more important than strength? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex conflicts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Baseball and life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball-and-life/) [Baseball hitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball-hitting/) [Baseball life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball-life/) [Baseball pitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball-pitcher/) [Butterfly Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly-sting-596081/) [Fastballs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fastballs/) [Float Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/float-like-596080/) [Float Like A Butterfly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/float-like-a-butterfly/) [Hit Float](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hit-float-5698028/) [Like Butterfly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-butterfly-483534/) [Pitching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pitching/) [Sting Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sting-like-596082/) [Sting Like A Bee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sting-like-a-bee/) [Twins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twins/) ## Related quotes > [Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/float-like-a-butterfly-sting-like-a-bee-the-hands-can-t-hit-what-the/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [I float like a butterfly and I sting like a bee my hands hit what my eyes can see](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammed-ali/i-float-like-a-butterfly-and-i-sting-like-a-bee-my-hands-hit-what-my/) [Muhammed Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammed-ali/) > [Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/float-like-a-butterfly-sting-like-a-bee/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Float like butterfly, Sting like a bee!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/float-like-butterfly-sting-like-a-bee/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [“Float like a butterfly, sting like a unicorn ;)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/float-like-a-butterfly-sting-like-a-unicorn/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) > [We gon' float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. AH! Rumble, young man rumble! AH!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-bundini-brown/we-gon-float-like-a-butterfly-sting-like-a-bee-ah-rumble-young-man/) [Drew Bundini Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-bundini-brown/) > [The role of third parties is to sting like a bee, then die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/the-role-of-third-parties-is-to-sting-like-a-bee-then-die/) [Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/) > [I used to watch old clips of Muhammad Ali, where he'd be talking the jive during interviews, you know, 'Float like a butterfly, sting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/i-used-to-watch-old-clips-of-muhammad-ali-where-he-d-be-talking-the/) [Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/) > [I would say things like 'I am the greatest! I'm pretty! If you talk jive, you'll drop in five! I float like a butterfly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-would-say-things-like-i-am-the-greatest-i-m-pretty-if-you-talk-jive/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [“That was you who hit me with the float? (Talon) Yes. (Dionysus) Damn, boy. You’ve fallen a long way down. Yesterday Greek god…today incompetent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/that-was-you-who-hit-me-with-the-float-talon-yes-dionysus-damn-boy/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Be the Music that Moves you Float like a Butterfly Sting like Bee Follow your DREAMS!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/be-the-music-that-moves-you-float-like-a-butterfly-sting-like-bee/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“A song about my life If there were to be a song ‘bout my life It would sting like a bee It would cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-kumar/a-song-about-my-life-if-there-were-to-be-a-song-bout-my-life-it-would/) [Aman Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-kumar/) > [I'm limitless bitch so don't tell me what my limits is/ Lemon in ya eye and I shine so they squint a bit/ Runnin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tactics/i-m-limitless-bitch-so-don-t-tell-me-what-my-limits-is-lemon-in-ya/) [Tactics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tactics/) > [“Float like a corpse sting like a lemon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-van-lente/float-like-a-corpse-sting-like-a-lemon/) [Fred Van Lente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-van-lente/) > [I sting like a butterfly and punch like a flea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/i-sting-like-a-butterfly-and-punch-like-a-flea/) [Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/) ## More by Walter Johnson > [The beanball is one of the meanest things on Earth and no decent fellow would use it. The beanball is a potential murderer. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/the-beanball-is-one-of-the-meanest-things-on-earth-and-no-decent/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [“Solomon Northup, who had been kidnapped from New York, taken to Virginia, and then sold to Louisiana, told no one his story, for fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/solomon-northup-who-had-been-kidnapped-from-new-york-taken-to/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [“But the reformers were right: the bovine digestive system is an extraordinarily efficient mechanism for converting grass, fodder, and even forage into fertilizer.15 Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/but-the-reformers-were-right-the-bovine-digestive-system-is-an/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [“Occasionally, however, when chided by their slaves or others, slaveholders did act in concert with the better selves of their paternalist rhetoric. William Green's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/occasionally-however-when-chided-by-their-slaves-or-others/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [“One man had been completely submerged in the boiling liquid which inundated the cabin, and in his removal to the deck, the skin had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/one-man-had-been-completely-submerged-in-the-boiling-liquid-which/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [Nobody saw it, he (Rogers Hornsby) hit it and it disappeared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/nobody-saw-it-he-rogers-hornsby-hit-it-and-it-disappeared/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [Can I throw harder than Joe Wood? Listen mister, no man alive can throw any harder than Smoky Joe Wood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/can-i-throw-harder-than-joe-wood-listen-mister-no-man-alive-can-throw/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [“Some slaves, however, were "too white to keep." That was how Edmund was described by the man who had sold him from Tennessee. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/some-slaves-however-were-too-white-to-keep-that-was-how-edmund-was/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [You can't hit what you can't see](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [I was the greenest rookie that ever was. One evening I was standing out on the sidewalk when a stranger approached and said, 'You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/i-was-the-greenest-rookie-that-ever-was-one-evening-i-was-standing/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [“South. In southern courtrooms and medical journals, slaves' misbehavior was often attributed to an inward disposition of character, which meant that there was something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/south-in-southern-courtrooms-and-medical-journals-slaves-misbehavior/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [The cost of anything is the foregone alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/the-cost-of-anything-is-the-foregone-alternative/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [(Bob) Feller isn't quite as fast as I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/bob-feller-isn-t-quite-as-fast-as-i-was/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [Can I throw harder than Joe Wood? Listen mister, no man alive can throw any harder than Smokey Joe Wood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/can-i-throw-harder-than-joe-wood-listen-mister-no-man-alive-can-throw-2/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [“The vitality associated with blackness might cancel out the vulnerability associated with femininity in the search for a field hand, while a "bright disposition"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/the-vitality-associated-with-blackness-might-cancel-out-the/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) [Explore all 18 Walter Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) ## 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": "You can't hit what you can't see; I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float-like-a-butterfly-and-sting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Baseball" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float-like-a-butterfly-and-sting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/walter-johnson-29912_baseball_you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float_726255.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/walter-johnson-29912_baseball_you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float_726255.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/walter-johnson-29912_baseball_you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float_726255.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't hit what you can't see; I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!” — Walter Johnson", "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": "Walter Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can't hit what you can't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float-like-a-butterfly-and-sting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/you-can-t-hit-what-you-can-t-see-i-float-like-a-butterfly-and-sting/#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 } } ] } ```