Sports Quote of the Day: Babe Ruth's Metaphor on Fear

Babe Ruth is the type of sports figure that has been analyzed and talked about ad nauseam, but his story is still worth revisiting.

The Baltimore native signed his first professional baseball deal with the Baltimore Orioles in 1914 before the club sold his contract to the Boston Red Sox the same year. He rose to stardom with the latter team, as he dominated both on the mound and at the plate.

Ruth led the AL in ERA in 1916, in homers in 1918 and 1919, and in RBIs in 1919. The Hall of Famer also helped the Red Sox win titles in 1915, 1916, and 1918. However, Boston sold him to the New York Yankees in December 1919, and he led the latter team to championships in 1923, 1927, 1928, and 1932.

Ruth is still third all-time with 714 career home runs and 2,213 RBIs. He also finished 94-46 with a 2.28 ERA over 163 outings (147 starts) on the mound.

Babe Ruth's Universal Lesson

It takes a special type of confidence for a baseball player to excel both as a pitcher and a hitter. Until Shohei Ohtani broke onto the scene for the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, Ruth was the only player in MLB history to be a star in both respects.

Although nobody had done that before Ruth, he didn't let the fear of failure deter him from trying. That mindset is useful for anything in life, and it inspired one of his most popular quotes.

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

Related: Sports Quote of the Day: Lou Gehrig's Gratitude

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 8:53 AM.