It’s impossible to tell the story of baseball without uttering Lou Piniella’s name.

He spent 18 years as a player, suiting up for the Yankees, Royals, Indians and Orioles and compiling a career .291 average in more than 1,700 games.

Piniella then managed for 23 years including four on the North Side of Chicago, at the helm for the Cubs from 2007 through the middle of the 2010 season.

He oversaw a Cubs team that made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2007-08 and won a World Series ring as the skipper of the 1990 Reds.

All the while, Piniella was one of the most quotable guys in the game, prone to hilarious one-liners and a unique perspective.

In honor of the baseball legend, we’re revising some of Piniella’s best quotes.

Quote:

“You have to learn how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Context:

It’s so simple, but quite possibly one of the most insightful quotes from Piniella. 

Here is further explanation for the former World Series champion (as a player and as a manager).

“There are a lot of uncomfortable situations during the course of a baseball game. During the course of a baseball season. The more relaxed and the more confident you are in your abilities the better you are going to be able to handle them. When you’re up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and the pressure is building, you’ve got to be able to relax. You’ve got to be able to concentrate and it makes it so much easier to get the job done that way. So confidence and believing in yourself are the important things.”