"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise"
About this Quote
The phrasing is defensive, almost legalistic. “Gave my best” frames effort as the core evidence of innocence, a measurable thing fans think they can recognize in a clean hit or a hard run. “At all times” is absolute language - the kind people use when their story has to withstand relentless retelling. Then he narrows the target: not “people can’t judge me,” but “no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise.” It’s a clever pivot. He concedes that judgment will happen, but insists any verdict against him is, by definition, a lie. That’s not confidence; it’s the posture of someone cornered by a narrative too big to outplay.
Context makes it ache. Jackson’s name is welded to the 1919 Black Sox scandal, a moral parable American sports still relies on: purity betrayed, punishment eternal. This quote tries to pry apart performance and conspiracy, to say: watch the field, not the myth. It’s also the tragedy of baseball’s courtroom drama - even an athlete’s “best” can’t outrun what people need him to represent.
Quote Details
| Topic | Honesty & Integrity |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Jackson, Shoeless Joe. (2026, January 16). God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/god-knows-i-gave-my-best-in-baseball-at-all-times-125021/
Chicago Style
Jackson, Shoeless Joe. "God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/god-knows-i-gave-my-best-in-baseball-at-all-times-125021/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/god-knows-i-gave-my-best-in-baseball-at-all-times-125021/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.





