Lou Gehrig is a name that you’ve probably heard, for one of two reasons. You either know him as a legendary professional baseball player who earned the nickname “the Iron Horse” for his amazing hitting and playing abilities. Or you might know his name because of the American label for ALS: Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to the ALS Association.
Gehrig was an iconic baseball legend, playing for the New York Yankees for 17 years, and was best known as their first baseman. He was so beloved by the team and fans that he was also the first Yankees athlete to have a jersey number retired (#4). And not only was he a skillful player, but he also had the best attitude while on the field. Our quote of the day from Gehrig shows just how good a sportsman he was and how we can all learn something from him, even if we don’t play sports. May is ALS Awareness Month, so it’s a particularly good time to shine a light on the Yankees player and his accomplishments.
Born on June 19, 1903, Gehrig grew up in New York City with his parents, who were both German immigrants, per Lou Gehrig’s website. His mother wanted him to receive a good education, so he went to college at Columbia University on a football scholarship, pursuing an engineering degree. He was convinced to play summer professional baseball before his first semester as a freshman, though, which banned him from intercollegiate sports. He eventually went back to playing football and baseball at Columbia, but was scouted in 1923 by the Yankees. He played one full season at Hartford (minor league baseball) before being called up to the major leagues full-time in 1925.
Unfortunately, by 1938, Gehrig’s stats started dropping, and it wasn’t because he fell off; it was because his strength was decreasing. While it was originally diagnosed as a gallbladder issue, he continued to become weaker. He played eight games in the 1939 season, but withdrew because of his lack of performance (he only had four hits) and his degenerative condition. Gehrig was officially diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by doctors at the Mayo Clinic. He took the field for the last time on July 4, 1939, with 62,000 fans in attendance for his farewell, which has gone on to become his most famous speech.
Gehrig’s words in our quote today seem to really highlight the kind of person he was, and that even with such success, he kept a good head on his shoulders. We can all learn a lot about winning and losing from Lou Gehrig, and not just in sports.
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Quote of the Day by Lou Gehrig
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“I love to win; but I love to lose almost as much. I love the thrill of victory, and I also love the challenge of defeat.”
As AL.com reported, this is known as one of Gehrig’s best quotes. According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Gehrig played 2,130 consecutive games for the Yankees, which is a record that would not be broken until Cal Ripken, Jr. did it in 1995; Gehrig played for that team from 1923 to 1939. He was “one of the most magnificent hitters and run producers in history,” the National Baseball Hall of Fame reported, though he was often overshadowed by Babe Ruth. And per the Associated Press, Gehrig had the record for most career grand slams (23) until Alex Rodriguez beat it in 2013. He was even the first athlete featured on a Wheaties box, according to the New Yorker.
He was a 7-time All-Star player, a 6-time World Series champion, an American League MVP and so many other accolades. So it’s safe to say that Lou Gehrig knew a thing or two (or a thousand) about winning. But he’s still only human, and where there are wins, there have to be losses.
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Deeper Meaning of Lou Gehrig’s Quote—Embracing Both Triumph and Defeat
Gehrig was quiet and reserved, but played his game well. As mentioned above, he was one of the best baseball players to ever play, and seemed to stay humble throughout it all.
If you’re constantly doing things—whether that’s competing in sports or working in your chosen career—and afraid of failing or losing, you’re going to severely limit yourself. Even if you’re not trying, that fear will subconsciously stop you from being more ambitious and trying new things you could potentially fail at. So being able to welcome defeat just as well as welcoming a win is a great mentality to continue thriving in life.
Gehrig’s use of the terms “the thrill of victory” and “the challenge of defeat” really does a great job of depicting just how important and similar losing and winning are. You will always have that yin and yang, that push and pull, in life or in sports—you will never always win, nor will you always lose. So you have to be just as open to both, and as Gehrig did, even love doing both.
Related: Quote of the Day: Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson on Building Community and Connection With Others
More Quotes from Lou Gehrig
- “I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth… I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for.”
- “I’m not a headline guy. I know that as long as I was following [Babe] Ruth to the plate, I could have stood on my head and no one would have known the difference.”
- “It’s a pretty big shadow [Babe Ruth’s]—it gives me lots of room to spread myself.”
- “The ballplayer who loses his head, who can’t keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all.”
- “There is no room in baseball for discrimination. It is our national pastime and a game for all.”
- “When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body—it’s a blessing.”
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