People always say to me, “Buck, I know you hated that you didn’t get a chance to play major league baseball,” and I say, “No, it did not bother me that I did not play major league baseball, because I played some of the best baseball in the country in the Negro leagues.”
My father always told me, “Anger will get you nothing. What you have to do is turn around the person who is doing you an injustice. You do this by being forgiving and loving. That will win them, more so than if you physically hit them because then they will hit you back. Then you get back nothing but a fight.”
You have got to believe in yourself and don’t ever stop trying. Never stop learning—I am 92 years old and I am still learning. Once you stop learning you are through—there is nothing else for you. You have to have a faith and belief in God. Once you believe, it is so easy to love and forgive.
Bio: Buck O'Neill was born in 1911. He was a professional baseball player who was denied the chance to play in the Major Leagues because of the colour of his skin. He became an ambassador for the game before passing away in 2006. Provided by: www.survivingadversity.com
