"Hard work is the main thing—hard work and dedication. And I think a great part of it is goal setting. You set your goals to a point where they're attainable, but far enough away that you have to really go get them. And every year I push my goals a little bit farther away, and every year I work a little bit harder to get them. Every goal that I've set, I've been able to achieve. That's been very fulfilling."

"I don't worry about things like that. I don't play for those things. I play to win. I play to earn the respect of my teammates, to earn respect from the players around the league, to win championships. Eventually, one day when it's all said and done, and my career is over, I'll be able to look back and be totally satisfied with what I've done. And I think people are going to notice. People are going to look back and say, 'Wow, where has this guy been?' So, I'm not worried." - Rafael Palmeiro in LifeDrive Magazine (2002)

"My dad was the force behind me early on. He was just infatuated with baseball. He was the one that basically taught me how to play the game. He gave a lot of his time working out with me, practicing and taking me to a lot of different games. It was hard work between both of us." - Rafael Palmeiro in The Miami Herald (May 2, 2003)

"My family fled Cuba because my parents wanted a better life for us,. They wanted to give us a better chance. When I was growing up, I just wanted to be a big league baseball player. That's all that I ever thought about. I'd tell my friends and everybody that I knew that that's what I was going to be. Knowing that the percentage of players making it was so small, everybody said, 'You're crazy; you need to do something else.' But, you know, I thought, 'Well there are people up there playing, so why not me?' I saw my dad come to a country where he didn't speak the language, didn't have a penny to his name. He came here with 3 little kids and a wife and had no place to live, and I saw that as a young kid. I saw him as a hero, as somebody who worked really hard and didn't accept any handouts or gifts from anyone. And just by watching him, I learned to work for the things that I wanted to achieve. He made time every day after work. He worked in construction most of his life, and he'd come home about 4:00, 4:30 and eat something, change his clothes, then we'd go to the ballpark. Every day. He pushed me as hard as he could and kept me focused." - Rafael Palmeiro in LifeDrive Magazine (2002)

Postgame Statement read by Rafael Palmeiro to Jesse Sanchez (MLB.com)

"It's a special moment for everybody, and especially for my family who has been there through the years supporting me. This is a special time my loved ones will never forget, but I'm just glad to get it over with so we can concentrate on the team and what we have to do to get this thing going.

Right now, the people from the Hall of Fame want all this stuff. I'm giving them batting gloves, bats, hats — everything. They want it all and that's fine with me, they can have it. It's still pretty hectic here and I'm glad I'm done. I really just want to take a shower and go home and be with my family. I'm glad this is over with so we can move on.

I'll celebrate a little with my family tonight but not too much. This is not the last home run I will hit. I think I have a lot baseball left in me and have other goals. I'll get back to work tomorrow.

Everybody has been very supportive. My dad obviously introduced me to game, and showed me how to play. He'll probably ask me why I popped out to third with the bases loaded, instead of talk about the home run. My mom just wanted me to get it over with, so I could relax and just play the game — she's a mother. Obviously, she wanted me to hit it on Mother's Day so that could be my gift to her, so I'm glad I could do that.

When the homestand started, I came back into town wanting to get it over with. And, obviously, I was not swinging the bat the way I was capable of. (Manager) Buck (Showalter and I talked a little bit about it. I knew it was going to happen, and I would love for it to happen here (in Texas). But if it doesn't happen here, my first priority is to help my team and stay within my game plan so I can be productive.

It's a big relief to do it at home. I wanted to do it at home. From the time we got off the road trip, I knew I had to hit two home runs. I tried not to think about it, but it's kind of hard when you have a sign that's about six-hundred feet long staring at you behind the release point of the pitcher.

Obviously, I've hit 500 home runs so I belong in that 500 Club. But when you talk about guys like (Mickey) Mantle and (Babe) Ruth and (Ted) Williams, I'm not as good as they were. Those guys were the greatest of all time. I've just been able to scrape together some good years and stayed healthy and gotten there. I don't put myself in some of those guys' group. They're the best of all time."

"We're (Juan Gonzalez) like brothers. I'm sure he was very happy to see me get it done, and it's not very long from his day, so hopefully I'll see that and we'll be on the same team."

"Yeah, I'm going to go back (after hitting his 500th home run, but commenting on reaching the 3,000 hit plateau) to my Punch-and-Judy days, hit the ball the other way, start bunting the ball a little bit."

"He could hit .320 or hit 45 homers. He's chosen the latter right now. He wants 45 homers a year and nobody can complain. He does it year in and year out." - Pitcher Kenny Rogers

"He definitely is a Hall of Famer,. Besides the 500 home runs, he has other stats to back that up. How many people have done that? He has, what 1,500 ribbies (he had 1,600 RBIs at the time) and a .280 something career average? (it was .292) I would say he is going." - Mariners second baseman Bret Boone

"He has great patience and he doesn't swing at bad pitches. He's the most underrated hitter ever, in my opinion." - Yankees pitcher David Wells

"He was a great home run hitter when I played with him, but it takes more than being a good home run hitter to stay around long enough to hit 500 home runs. He's kept it going, stayed healthy and he gets his at-bats. He's still got that sweet swing." - Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina

"He's a complete player. When he went to Texas, he hadn't played a lot of first base. He's made himself into a very good first baseman. That's what makes him a first-ballot Hall of Famer for me — he can beat you at the plate and in the field." - Former Teammate Mark Grace

"He's always the left-handed swing you want to copy. He's got a real smooth swing and he's never off balance. He's always on top of the ball. I just like watching him hit." - Yankees catcher Jorge Posada

"He's an incredible player. He has hit all types of pitching for a long time and plays every day. He's a Hall of Famer, no doubt about it. And he's got some baseball left — he doesn't seem to be slowing down much." - Angels manager Mike Scioscia

"He's one of my best friends in the game. I've watched him over the years be as good and as consistent as a player can be. He doesn't get nearly the credit he should for what he does." - Twins pitcher Kenny Rogers

"His swing is so easy and smooth. When I swing and hit a home run, it's always violent. But his swing is so easy. It's a swing I always wanted.'' - Devil Ray Aubrey Huff

"I certainly never thought he'd hit 500 homers, but I did think he'd get 3,000 hits when I first saw him." - Terry Pendleton

"I'm sure you'll hear it anywhere you go, but you're talking about as smooth and fluid a swing as anyone in the game. It's got to be one of the prettiest swings that's ever been in the game." - Former Teammate Doug Mirabelli

"I played with him in A ball. I've always kept up with his career. It's neat to see something like this happen to someone you've known for so long. He's always been a great guy, someone that's easy to pull for." - Braves ace Greg Maddux

"I saw him when he first came up with the Cubs, and he wasn't that kind of hitter, but as soon as he went to Texas, he just ... in some ways he's a lot like (Mark) McGwire. He really doesn't swing hard, but he has terrific timing. Just puts it right at the right point over and over again." - Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa

"I think it says a lot about his swing. He's not a particularly big guy. I know early in his career the knock against him was that he couldn't hit home runs. ... It is kind of funny that he now has 500." - Mariner John Olerud

"Rafael's a great hitter, great player and a true Hall of Famer. He really does it all. He's one of those guys that keeps on going." - White Sox slugger Frank Thomas

"That's him — short, quick hands and not trying to muscle the ball out. He learned at a very young age what works for him, and he's stuck with it. We've always talked about how selective he is, and I think he was frustrated the last few games and got out of that a little bit. He was trying to please everybody. Raffy's a pleaser." - Buck Showalter

"That was classic. That'll be a great highlight home run. I had a chance to watch the tape of it several times, and you could see the ball jumped out real quick. He had a classic Raffy swing — well-balanced and smooth and good extension. Goodbye." - Rangers General Manager John Hart. "

"The biggest thing at this level is guys being consistent. He just shows what it's all about." - Red Sox bench coach Jerry Narron

"The swing was pure, the contact effortless, the flight majestic, like so many of the 499 before it. Rafael Palmeiro's 500th homer was an absolute thing of beauty, not only for its historic value as only the 19th time a Major League player has hit a 500th homer, but for its fitting simplicity." - John Schlegel (MLB.com)