John Wooden
military officer, basketball coach, basketball player, writer
Read on Wikipedia1910 – 2010
All Quotes by John Wooden
“Just try to be the best you can be; never cease trying to be the best you can be. That's in your power.”
“There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer.”
“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”
“Never lie, never cheat, never steal.”
“Earn the right to be proud and confident.”
“Young people need models, not critics.”
“Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.”
“Friendship is two-sided. It isn't a friend just because someone's doing something nice for you. That's a nice person. There's friendship when you do for each other. It's like marriage - it's two-sided.”
“Love is the most important thing in the world. Hate, we should remove from the dictionary.”
“The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.”
“Somebody asked me - you know, how come it took you so long to win a national championship? And I said, 'I'm a slow learner; but you notice when I learn something, I have it down pretty good.'”
“What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.”
“In the end, it's about the teaching, and what I always loved about coaching was the practices. Not the games, not the tournaments, not the alumni stuff. But teaching the players during practice was what coaching was all about to me.”
“I don't believe in praying to win.”
“I'm glad I was a teacher.”
“When you hurry you're more apt to make mistakes. But you have to be quick. If you're not quick you can't get things done.”
“Ability is a poor man's wealth.”
“I was built up from my dad more than anyone else.”
“Well, if you're true to yourself you're going to be true to everyone else.”
“I like to spend time in the past, with the things that have been important to me.”
“I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.”
“I'd be satisfied just coaching in high school. I turned down a number of colleges when I was teaching in South Bend, Indiana, before I went into the service. I honestly believe that if I hadn't enlisted in the service, I would never have left high school teaching. I'm sure I would have never left.”
“I'm not going to say I was opposed to the Vietnam War. I'm going to say I'm opposed to war. But I'm also opposed to protests that deny other people their rights.”
“I worry that business leaders are more interested in material gain than they are in having the patience to build up a strong organization, and a strong organization starts with caring for their people.”
“No one can really honestly be the very best, no one.”
“Be prepared and be honest.”
“Well, your greatest joy definitely comes from doing something for another, especially when it was done with no thought of something in return.”
“Teaching players during practices was what coaching was all about to me.”
“I had three rules for my players: No profanity. Don't criticize a teammate. Never be late.”
“I think permitting the game to become too physical takes away a little bit of the beauty.”
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.”
“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.”
“If I were a young coach today, I would be extremely careful in selecting assistants.”
“You can do more good by being good than any other way.”
“I don't think I was a fine game coach. I'm trying to be honest. I think I was a good practice coach.”
“I talked to the players and tried to make them aware of what was good and bad, but I didn't try to run their lives.”
“I'm no wizard, and I don't like being thought of in that light at all. I think of a wizard as being some sort of magician or something, doing something on the sly or something, and I don't want to be thought of in that way.”
“I think that in any group activity - whether it be business, sports, or family - there has to be leadership or it won't be successful.”
“If there's anything you could point out where I was a little different, it was the fact that I never mentioned winning.”
“I seldom was ever off my seat on the bench during the game.”
“I found golf was too time consuming, but I did enjoy it.”
“What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.”
“In the end, it's about the teaching, and what I always loved about coaching was the practices. Not the games, not the tournaments, not the alumni stuff. But teaching the players during practice was what coaching was all about to me.”
“I don't believe in praying to win.”
“We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else.”
“I'm glad I was a teacher.”
“When you hurry you're more apt to make mistakes. But you have to be quick. If you're not quick you can't get things done.”
“Ability is a poor man's wealth.”
“I was built up from my dad more than anyone else.”
“Well, if you're true to yourself you're going to be true to everyone else.”
“I like to spend time in the past, with the things that have been important to me.”
“I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.”
“I'd be satisfied just coaching in high school. I turned down a number of colleges when I was teaching in South Bend, Indiana, before I went into the service. I honestly believe that if I hadn't enlisted in the service, I would never have left high school teaching. I'm sure I would have never left.”
“I'm not going to say I was opposed to the Vietnam War. I'm going to say I'm opposed to war. But I'm also opposed to protests that deny other people their rights.”
“I worry that business leaders are more interested in material gain than they are in having the patience to build up a strong organization, and a strong organization starts with caring for their people.”
“I worry that business leaders are more interested in material gain than they are in having the patience to build up a strong organization, and a strong organization starts with caring for their people.”
“No one can really honestly be the very best, no one.”
“Be prepared and be honest.”
“Well, your greatest joy definitely comes from doing something for another, especially when it was done with no thought of something in return.”
“Teaching players during practices was what coaching was all about to me.”
“I had three rules for my players: No profanity. Don't criticize a teammate. Never be late.”
“I think permitting the game to become too physical takes away a little bit of the beauty.”
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.”
“If I were a young coach today, I would be extremely careful in selecting assistants.”
“You can do more good by being good than any other way.”
“I don't think I was a fine game coach. I'm trying to be honest. I think I was a good practice coach.”
“Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow.”
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
“I talked to the players and tried to make them aware of what was good and bad, but I didn't try to run their lives.”
“The main ingredient of stardom, is the rest of the team.”
“I'm no wizard, and I don't like being thought of in that light at all. I think of a wizard as being some sort of magician or something, doing something on the sly or something, and I don't want to be thought of in that way.”
“Young people need models, not critics.”
“I think that in any group activity - whether it be business, sports, or family - there has to be leadership or it won't be successful.”
“Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. Conceit is self-given; be careful.”
“If there's anything you could point out where I was a little different, it was the fact that I never mentioned winning.”
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
“I seldom was ever off my seat on the bench during the game.”
“Failure is not fatal but failure to change might be.”
“I found golf was too time consuming, but I did enjoy it.”
“Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”
“I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.”
“Success is peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction and knowing you’ve made the effort, do the best of what you’re capable.”
“You should never try to be better than someone else, you should always be learning from others. But you should never cease trying to be the best you could be because that’s under your control and the other isn’t.”
“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
“Make each day your masterpiece.”
“I met Tiger Woods when he was younger. He's amazing - obviously technically, but his mental approach, too. He's really something.”
“The outstanding coach is a teacher that gets all his squad to accept the role that he considers to be the most important for the welfare of all.”
“I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.”
“You control the terms of the conflict. Make them play your game. Don’t try to play theirs.”
“The four laws of learning are: the first is demonstration of what you want. The second is the criticism of the demonstration. The third is the imitation of the correct model, and the fourth is repetition, over and over until it becomes habit where is you don’t think about it.”
“Don’t beat yourself. That’s the worst kind of defeat you’ll ever suffer.”
“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”
“I do not have the right, Bill, but I do have the right to say who is going to play on my team and we’re going to miss you.”
“Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who'll argue with you.”
“A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself for the group, for the good of the group — that’s teamwork.”
“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
“All of life is peaks and valleys. Don't let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.”
“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.”
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
“Failure is never fatal. But failure to change can and might be.”
“Just try to be the best you can be; never cease trying to be the best you can be. That's in your power.”
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
“Today is the only day. Yesterday is gone.”
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
“It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
“Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.”
“Friendship is two-sided. It isn't a friend just because someone's doing something nice for you. That's a nice person. There's friendship when you do for each other. It's like marriage - it's two-sided.”
“The most important thing in the world is family and love.”
“Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.”
“There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer.”
“Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.”
“I think permitting the game to become too physical takes away a little bit of the beauty.”
“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”
“Passion is momentary; love is enduring.”
“Friendship is two-sided. It isn't a friend just because someone's doing something nice for you. That's a nice person. There's friendship when you do for each other. It's like marriage - it's two-sided.”
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
“The most important thing in the world is family and love.”
“Just do the best you can. No one can do more than that.”
“Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.”
“Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.”
“If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.”
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
“It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
“Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.”
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
“It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
“All of life is peaks and valleys. Don't let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.”
“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
“It isn't what you do, but how you do it.”
“You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
“Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.”
“Never mistake activity for achievement.”
“I think that in any group activity - whether it be business, sports, or family - there has to be leadership or it won't be successful.”
“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.”
“We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else.”
“Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.”
“If I am through learning, I am through.”
“Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.”
“I think you have to be what you are. Don't try to be somebody else. You have to be yourself at all times.”
“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”
“I am just a common man who is true to his beliefs.”
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
“I've been blessed in so many ways.”
“Failure is never fatal. But failure to change can and might be.”
“I'm not afraid to die.”
“I don't believe in fate.”
“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.”
“If a player's not doing the things he should, put him on the bench. He'll come around.”
“If I am through learning, I am through.”
“My eyesight is not nearly as good. My hearing is probably going away. My memory is slipping too. But I'm still around.”
“I met Tiger Woods when he was younger. He's amazing - obviously technically, but his mental approach, too. He's really something.”
“You can lose when you outscore somebody in a game. And you can win when you're outscored.”
“There's as much crookedness as you want to find. There was something Abraham Lincoln said - he'd rather trust and be disappointed than distrust and be miserable all the time. Maybe I trusted too much.”
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
“Passion is momentary; love is enduring.”
“If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”
“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
“The most important thing in the world is family and love.”
“Today is the only day. Yesterday is gone.”
“The most important thing in the world is family and love.”
“Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.”
“Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who'll argue with you.”
“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”
“Just do the best you can. No one can do more than that.”
“Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.”
“It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.”
“I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.”
“Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”
“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”
“You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.”
“Discipline yourself, and others won't need to.”