John Wooden quotes
-
“Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.”
-- John Wooden -
“The leader has to command the respect of all those under his supervision - and he must be open to those under his supervision. Effective leadership means having a lot of people working toward a common goal. And when you have that with no one caring who gets the credit, you're going to accomplish a lot. If you have those just wanting the credit for themselves, you're not going to get as much accomplished.”
-- John Wooden -
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
-- John WoodenSource : "This Speech Was Given Before The #4Women4AllWomen Run" by Powdered Feet, womensrunning.competitor.com. January 25, 2017.
-
“Many leaders don't listen, and it is one of the greatest methods we have of learning. You need to listen to those under your supervision and to those who are above you.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who'll argue with you.”
-- John Wooden -
“Too often, we just ask for help instead of really giving thanks for the many things that we've had and are so helpful to us that we did nothing to deserve, so we should give thanks each and every day and pray for guidance in helping us along the proper path.”
-- John Wooden -
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
-- John Wooden -
“You can't make good decisions that are going to be meaningful, productive, when you lose control, and you have to maintain mental control, emotional control and to be able to perform physically up to your own particular level of competency; you have to keep your emotions under control.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Parenting is the most important profession in the world.”
-- John Wooden -
“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.”
-- John Wooden -
“The true leader isn't really looking for leadership. He's trying to set an example and be in the proper way to get the most productive results and don't realize it. When the followers get something done, if the leader has been what he should, they'll feel like they did it, not him. That's the way it should be.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
-- John Wooden -
“Not everyone is equipped to be a leader, but in a sense, everyone is a leader to someone, even though you're not equipped. I think parents are a leader to youngsters, teacher are leaders, coaches are leaders, businessmen are leaders.”
-- John Wooden -
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
-- John WoodenSource : "The Wizard's wisdom: 'Woodenisms'", www.espn.com. June 4, 2010.
-
“The important things to me are your faith, your family and your friends. If you have that, you have everything.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Knowledge is not enough to get desired results. You must have the more elusive ability to teach and to motivate. This defines a leader; if you can't teach and you can't motivate, you can't lead.”
-- John Wooden -
“Never lie; never cheat; never steal. Don't whine; don't complain; don't make excuses.”
-- John Wooden -
“Give me 100 percent. You can't make up for a poor effort today by giving 110 percent tomorrow. You don't have 110 percent. You only have 100 percent, and that's what I want from you right now.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Remember this, the choices you make in life, make you.”
-- John Wooden -
“I am not as good as I ought to be. I am not as good as I want to be. I am not as good as I'm going to be. But I am thankful that I am better than I used to be.”
-- John Wooden -
“If I were ever prosecuted for my religion, I truly hope there would be enough evidence to convict me.”
-- John Wooden -
“If you stay intent and your ability warrants it, you will eventually reach the top of the mountain.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“We don’t have to be superstars or win championships…. All we have to do is learn to rise to every occasion, give our best effort, and make those around us better as we do it.”
-- John Wooden -
“Many ... have tremendous God-given gifts, but they don't focus on the development of those gifts. Who are these individuals? You've never heard of them- and you never will .”
-- John Wooden -
“If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.”
-- John Wooden -
“The most important thing in the world is family and love.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“The better conditioned team will probably win in the long run.”
-- John Wooden -
“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.”
-- John WoodenSource : John Wooden, Jack Tobin, Bill Walton (2004). “They Call Me Coach”, McGraw Hill Professional
-
“It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.”
-- John Wooden -
“It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
-- John WoodenSource : Fellowship of Christian Athletes, John Wooden (2010). “The Greatest Coach Ever: Timeless Wisdom and Insights of John Wooden”, p.101, Gospel Light Publications
-
“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”
-- John Wooden -
“The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
-- John Wooden -
“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“I never met a person from whom I did not learn something.”
-- John Wooden -
“Make a decision! Failure to act is often the biggest failure of all.”
-- John Wooden -
“If you do enough small things right, big things can happen”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Apply yourself everyday to just becoming a little bit better.”
-- John Wooden -
“Although there is no progress without change, not all change is progress.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating...too often fathers neglect it because they get so caught up in making a living they forget to make a life.”
-- John Wooden -
“Never try to be better than someone else. Learn from others, and try to be the best you can be. Success is the by-product of that preparation.”
-- John Wooden -
“Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference.”
-- John Wooden -
“How many of us have conflicts with someone else- and how many of us pray for that person? We have individuals with whom we are competitive, or whom we dislike or have a quarrel with; but very few of us have true enemies in the martial sense. And yet if Lincoln could pray fervently- and contemporary reports indicate he did- for the people who were opposing him, how much more can we do for someone we just find a little irritating?”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Never try to be better than somebody else. But most importantly, never cease trying to be the best you can be.”
-- John Wooden -
“Respect a man, and he will do all the more.”
-- John Wooden -
“You must be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way.”
-- John Wooden -
“Surround yourself with people strong enough to change your mind.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Profound responsibilities come with teaching and coaching. You can do so much good–or harm. It’s why I believe that next to parenting, teaching and coaching are the two most important professions in the world.”
-- John Wooden -
“Reputation is what others perceive you as being, and their opinion may be right or wrong. Character, however, is what you really are, and nobody truly knows that but you. But you are what matters most.”
-- John Wooden -
“Good things take time, as they should. We shouldn't expect good things to happen overnight. Actually, getting something too easily or too soon can cheapen the outcome.”
-- John Wooden -
“Everything we know, we learned from someone else!”
-- John Wooden -
-
“You can always do more than you think you can.”
-- John Wooden -
“Make each day your masterpiece. Life is now. Life is not later on.”
-- John Wooden -
“Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Be more concerned with what you can do for others than what others can do for you. You’ll be surprised at the results.”
-- John Wooden -
“We’re all imperfect and we all have needs. The weak usually do not ask for help, so they stay weak. If we recognize that we are imperfect, we will ask for help and we will pray for the guidance necessary to bring positive results to whatever we are doing.”
-- John Wooden -
“It's not how big you are, it's how big you play”
-- John Wooden -
-
“IF you are not making mistakes, then you are not doing anything....”
-- John Wooden -
“Promise yourself you will talk health, happiness, and prosperity as often as possible. Promise to think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best in yourself and others. Promise to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements in the future.”
-- John Wooden -
“When opportunity comes it is too late to prepare.”
-- John Wooden -
“You may be better than the rest, but you are not a success until you have made the effort to become the best you can be.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Let’s face it, we’re all imperfect and we’re going to fall short on occasion. But we must learn from failure and that will enable us to avoid repeating our mistakes. Through adversity, we learn, grow stronger, and become better people.”
-- John Wooden -
“Don't think that you can make up for it by working twice as hard tomorrow. If you have it within your power to work twice as hard, why aren't you doing it now?”
-- John Wooden -
“Make each day a masterpiece. Don't think your best days are out there somewhere. Why not today? Why can't today be a great day? It can if you believe it will.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Loyalty is very important when things get a little tough, as they often do when the challenge is great. Loyalty is a powerful force in producing one's individual best and more so in producing a team's best.”
-- John Wooden -
“The true athlete should have character, not be a character”
-- John Wooden -
“We can agree to disagree, but we don’t need to be disagreeable.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.”
-- John Wooden -
“Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.”
-- John Wooden -
“Just do the best you can. No one can do more than that.”
-- John Wooden -
“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.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”
-- John Wooden -
“I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.”
-- John Wooden -
“We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“I think you have to be what you are. Don't try to be somebody else. You have to be yourself at all times.”
-- John Wooden -
“The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.”
-- John Wooden -
“Being true to ourselves doesn't make us people of integrity. Charles Manson was true to himself, and as a result, he rightly is spending the rest of his life in prison. Ultimately, being true to our Creator gives us the purest form of integrity.”
-- John Wooden -
“Well, your greatest joy definitely comes from doing something for another, especially when it was done with no thought of something in return.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.”
-- John Wooden -
“All of life is peaks and valleys. Don't let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.”
-- John Wooden -
“If there's anything you could point out where I was a little different, it was the fact that I never mentioned winning.”
-- John Wooden -
“Team spirit means you are willing to sacrifice personal considerations for the welfare of all. That defines a team player.”
-- John Wooden -
-
“Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time”
-- John Wooden -
“Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”
-- John Wooden -
You may also like:
-
Adolph Rupp
Basketball Coach -
Bill Walton
Basketball player -
Bo Ryan
Basketball Coach -
Bobby Knight
Basketball Coach -
Dean Smith
Basketball Coach -
Denny Crum
Basketball Coach -
Geno Auriemma
Basketball Coach -
James Naismith
Basketball Coach -
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Basketball player -
Larry Bird
Basketball Coach -
Lou Holtz
Football coach -
Michael Jordan
Basketball player -
Mike Krzyzewski
Basketball Coach -
Morgan Wootten
Basketball Coach -
Pat Summitt
Basketball Coach -
Phil Jackson
Basketball Coach -
Rick Pitino
Basketball Coach -
Steve Alford
Basketball Coach -
Tom Izzo
Basketball Coach -
Vince Lombardi
Football player