Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.

Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours” is one of Yogi Berra’s best-known “Yogi-isms,” a class of humorous, seemingly illogical sayings attributed to the Hall of Fame catcher and longtime New York Yankees figure. The line reflects Berra’s public persona as a plainspoken, comic philosopher whose remarks circulated widely in sports pages and later in collections of his sayings. It is typically presented as an offhand piece of practical advice about showing up for others—especially in moments of obligation and grief—delivered in Berra’s characteristically deadpan, paradoxical style. While frequently quoted in print and anthologies, pinpointing a single first utterance in a dated interview is difficult.

The joke turns on literal reciprocity: if you don’t attend others’ funerals, they “won’t” attend yours—an impossibility that exposes the social logic underneath. Berra’s quip satirizes the way communal rituals (funerals, wakes, condolences) function as mutual obligations among the living. Beneath the absurdity is a serious ethic: participation in others’ losses is part of belonging to a community, and neglecting those duties can leave one isolated when one’s own time comes. The line’s enduring appeal lies in how it compresses a moral reminder—show up for people—into a compact, comic paradox.

1) “Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise they won’t go to yours.”
2) “You should always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.”
3) “If you don’t go to other people’s funerals, they won’t go to yours.”