--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People like us are afraid to leave ball…" description: "\"People like us are afraid to leave ball. What else is there to do? When baseball has been your whole life, you can't think about a future without it, s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/willie-stargell-11554_ball_people-like-us-are-afraid-to-leave-ball_2569175.png" --- # People like us are afraid to leave ball. What else is… ![“People like us are afraid to leave ball. What else is there to do? When baseball has been your whole life, you can't think about a future without it, so you hang on as long as you can.” quote by Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/willie-stargell-11554_ball_people-like-us-are-afraid-to-leave-ball_2569175.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/willie-stargell-11554_ball_people-like-us-are-afraid-to-leave-ball_2569175.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/willie-stargell-11554_ball_people-like-us-are-afraid-to-leave-ball_2569175.png) > “People like us are afraid to leave ball. What else is there to do? When baseball has been your whole life, you can't think about a future without it, so you hang on as long as you can.” [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes fear of life after baseball and clinging to familiar identity **In simple terms:** Fear of leaving a lifelong passion Key Takeaway Consider life beyond a single identity Themes sports identity transition Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - retirement planning - career counseling - personal development - mental health Key Concepts career change life after sports Questions to Reflect On - What passions can replace a lifelong sport? - How to prepare for identity shift after retirement? A Different Perspective May ignore other opportunities; identity can be limiting ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid Leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-leave-421093/) [Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ball/) [Ball Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ball-baseball-1296675/) [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Baseball life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball-life/) [Leave Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leave-ball-1676385/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Whole life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-life/) ## Related quotes > [It's so bad I could putt off a tabletop and still leave the ball halfway down the leg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-snead/it-s-so-bad-i-could-putt-off-a-tabletop-and-still-leave-the-ball/) [J. 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It claws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/music/i-m-afraid-to-leave-my-bed-at-night-whenever-i-leave-the-saftey-of/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/music/) > [I'm afraid to be alone, I'm afraid not to be alone. I'm afraid of what I am, what I'm not, what I might become,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/i-m-afraid-to-be-alone-i-m-afraid-not-to-be-alone-i-m-afraid-of-what/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [A lot of guitar players, in every genre, are afraid to leave space. 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I see some garbage collectors smiling as they go about their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-see-a-lot-of-people-who-love-their-jobs-i-see-some-garbage/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I'm proud of the fact that I'm the only player to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-m-proud-of-the-fact-that-i-m-the-only-player-to-hit-a-ball/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [To middle-class parents, the project team may have seemed unfit for children, but it was exactly what I needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-middle-class-parents-the-project-team-may-have-seemed-unfit-for/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [When we make a mistake, it becomes front-page news. 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It survives everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-me-baseball-has-always-been-a-reflection-of-life-like-life-it/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I gave out stars whenever an appropriate situation presented itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-gave-out-stars-whenever-an-appropriate-situation-presented-itself/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I love September, especially when we're in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-love-september-especially-when-we-re-in-it/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [The Giants were a good team, but our biggest enemy was said to be Candlestick Park.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/the-giants-were-a-good-team-but-our-biggest-enemy-was-said-to-be/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [It's supposed to be fun, the man says 'Play Ball' not 'Work Ball' you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/it-s-supposed-to-be-fun-the-man-says-play-ball-not-work-ball-you-know/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [Life is one big transition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/life-is-one-big-transition/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I owe a large part of my success to Joe Brown, who helped me both as a player and a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-owe-a-large-part-of-my-success-to-joe-brown-who-helped-me-both-as-a/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I would always reserve a special place in my heart for Pittsburgh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-would-always-reserve-a-special-place-in-my-heart-for-pittsburgh/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) [Explore all 59 Willie Stargell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) ## More Ball quotes > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/sometimes-in-midfield-it-s-nice-because-you-do-get-a-little-bit-more/) [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/) > [I have no physical genius about me. 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