Billy Williams Quotations

I enjoy painting, cutting the lawn and working in the garden when I have time. That's therapy for me. I enjoy working with my hands.

Mobile is a seaport town, and we ate a lot of seafood. We'd go fishing, we'd catch our fish and we'd eat our fish. It was a ritual on Saturday morning for all my family - my grandfather, my brothers, my uncles, my father - to go fishing, and then the ladies of the family would clean the fish and fry them up.

I think I understand why baseball players today are a little standoffish, because the world has changed. You don't know who's trying to take advantage of you, what people really want.

When they told me there would be a statue erected at Wrigley Field, I was happy with that. I know there will be a meeting place for a lot of people. There will be a conversation every day. They say now, 'I'll meet you at Ernie Banks' statue.' After Sept. 7, they'll say, 'I'll meet you by Billy Williams' statue.'

As I look out there and see the culture of baseball, a lot of blacks and Latins, it's given me a lot of joy to know that Jackie started that. If Jackie hadn't come in '47, me and Ron Santo wouldn't have played in Double-A and all those years in the big leagues.

The only time I mind autographs is when I'm out with my family. You're trying to enjoy kids and grandkids and here comes a swarm, and there go your wife and kids. That happens to every celebrity. It's the price you pay.

I get double-takes at the hardware store. I've had people say, 'I didn't know you did this.' With a celebrity, if folks don't see you, they think all you do is stay in the house.

He was a really hard worker. He stood apart from everyone else. I knew he was going to be special.

The people here are friendly. I'm enjoying myself now.

I was only 250 miles away, but now I'm 2,500 miles away. I was a little disappointed my wife and grandkids are in Houston.

As I got here, things began to look up. But I'm looking at (how) I have four more years before retirement, and I need to get back and work on that.

All of us became real close friends. My best friends aren't from high school or college. They're from the YMCA and from that noon running group. The runs, the jokes, the stories ... you become a family, and you don't want to miss out.

I told his dad when Chris was a freshman that he was going to break my record.

It's not easy to win a batting title if your name's not Bill.

I'm a fan of the opera and I was in there looking around, and I saw this beautiful and colorful ceramic cookie jar, made to resemble an opera singer. I bought it on the spot. I think I paid about $125 for it.