George Herman Ruth Jr. picked up many nicknames during his 22-season career in Major League Baseball: the Sultan of Swat, the Caliph of Clout, the Great Bambino, the Big Bam. But he’s best known as Babe Ruth, a man many consider the greatest baseball player ever — and undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes in American history.

Ruth grew up poor in a tough neighborhood on the Baltimore waterfront, and as a kid he roamed the streets, chewed tobacco, got drunk on occasion, and had several run-ins with the law. It was baseball that provided a way out, and Ruth was ever grateful for all the game gave him.

With the Boston Red Sox, Ruth became the best left-handed pitcher in baseball. He further dazzled his coaches and wowed the fans with his big hitting. At the time, home runs were rare, but in 1919 Ruth smashed an impressive 29 homers, beating the previous record of 27 set by Ned Williamson in 1884. He joined the New York Yankees in 1920, and soon proved himself as the greatest hitter of all time. In his first season with the Yankees, he demolished his own single-season record by hitting a staggering 54 home runs — a record he broke the next year with 59 homers, and then again in 1927 with 60.

Ruth had his ups and downs. His off-field antics, especially his drinking and womanizing, often caught the attention of the press. But his popularity never waned, and he single-handedly managed to revitalize baseball with his big hitting and bravado. Here are some of his most famous quotes, most of which have one thing in common: a genuine passion for America’s pastime.

I swing big, with everything I’ve got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can.

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.

Never let the fear of striking out keep you from swinging.

If it wasn’t for baseball, I’d be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.

As soon as I got out there I felt a strange relationship with the pitcher’s mound. It was as if I’d been born out there. Pitching just felt like the most natural thing in the world. Striking out batters was easy.

All ball players should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill.

There’s only one answer to be made to the young fellow who is asking constantly for advice as to how to hit. The answer is: “Pick out a good one and sock it!”

I copied [Shoeless Joe] Jackson’s style because I thought he was the greatest hitter I had ever seen, the greatest natural hitter I ever saw. He’s the guy who made me a hitter.

Baseball changes through the years. It gets milder.

Don’t ever forget two things I’m going to tell you. One, don’t believe everything that’s written about you. Two, don’t pick up too many checks.

My idea of a real ball player is the fellow who can take the bad breaks with a grin and come up fighting.

A good player never stops until he’s actually out… It’s been much the same with almost every great man you could name. He kept plugging when everybody said his chances of making first base were nil. You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.