John Wooden Quotes & Sayings

Never try to be better than somebody else. But most importantly, never cease trying to be the best you can be. — John Wooden

If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes. — John Wooden

A leader must listen to those under their supervision. — John Wooden

The worst things you can do for the ones you love are the things they could and should do for themselves - and — John Wooden

Consideration for others brings many things. — John Wooden

You'd like to see your team reasonably happy, but that's not your job. Gain their respect and get them to accept their roles — 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

The team with the most talent usually wins. — John Wooden

Nothing can give you greater joy than doing something for another. — John Wooden

The uphill climb is slow,but the downhill road is fast. — John Wooden

Great leaders are always out front with a banner, instead of behind with a whip. — John Wooden

Characteristics of a Team Player We all fit into different niches. Each of us must make the effort to contribute to the best of our ability according to our own individual talents. And then we put all the individual talents together for the highest good of the group. Thus, I valued a player who cared for others and could lose himself in the group for the good of the group. I believe that quality makes for an outstanding player. It is also why the best players don't always make the best team. I mean by this that a gifted player, or players, who are not team players will ultimately hurt the team, whether it revolves around basketball or business. Understanding that the good of the group comes first is fundamental to being a highly productive member of a team. — John Wooden

During the toughest challenges in my life I've come to most appreciate all Coach Wooden means to me. The things he would say - "Don't lie, don't cheat, don't steal, don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses; worry about the things you can control, and not the things you can't" - were endless. Yet there is an appropriate one for every situation. The real — John Wooden

You cannot antagonize and be a positive influence, and you will antagonize when you discipline through emotion. — John Wooden

A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life. — John Wooden

The true athlete should have character, not be a character — John Wooden

I believe in the basics: attention to, and perfection of, tiny details that might be commonly overlooked. They may seem trivial, perhaps even laughable to those who don't understand, but they aren't. They are fundamental to your progress in basketball, business, and life. They are the difference between champions and near champions.
For example, at the first squad meeting each season, held two weeks before our first actual practice, I personally demonstrated how I wanted players to put on their socks each and every time: Carefully roll the socks down over the toes, ball of the foot, arch and around the heel, then pull the sock up snug so there will be no wrinkles of any kind. — John Wooden

One of the greatest motivating factors is the pat on the back, although with some individuals, you have to make the pat a little lower or a little harder. — John Wooden

Leaders must have patience for those under your supervision. Don't expect too much too soon. Maybe it was easy for you, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy for somebody else. Be sure you have patience. — John Wooden

If we fail to adapt, we fail to move forward. — John Wooden

The score will take care of itself when you take care of the effort that precedes the score. — John Wooden

One of my constant reminders is, 'End practice on a happy note.' I want the boys to want to come out to practice; and I want them to get a certain amount of pleasure..lt's a game. It should be fun. So I always try to counterbalance my criticism in practice with a bit of praise. I want my players to feel that the worst punishment I can give them is to deny them the privilege of practicing. If they do not want to practice, I do not want them there. — John Wooden

The star of the team IS the team. 'We' supercedes 'me'. — John Wooden

I never let our players get satisfied, I never let our Coaches get satisfied, I was never satisfied. We can always do it better. — John Wooden

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. — John Wooden

We should never let ambition cause us to sacrifice our integrity or diminish our efforts in other areas. However, we need to remember that we never reach a serious goal unless we have the intention of doing so. — John Wooden

James Russell Lowell wrote: It's not what we give but what we share, For the gift without the giver is bare. Who gives of himself of his alms feeds three, Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me. — John Wooden

Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it. — John Wooden

Intensity makes you stronger. Emotionalism makes you weaker. — John Wooden

Make today your master piece. — John Wooden

Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. — John Wooden

It is important for us to see that our mentors are human and therefore fallible; it makes our own shortcomings more tenable. — John Wooden

Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time — John Wooden

Strive to accomplish the very best you are capable of. Nothing less than your best effort will suffice. — John Wooden

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. — John Wooden

Success is mine when I work my hardest to become my best, and I alone determine whether I do so. — John Wooden

While I made my living as a coach, I have lived my life to be a mentor-and to be mentored!-constantly.Everything in the world has been passed down. Every piece of knowledge is something that has been shared by someone else. If you understand it as I do, mentoring becomes your true legacy. It is the greatest inheritance you can give to others. It is why you get up every day-to teach and be taught. — John Wooden

I never met a person from whom I did not learn something. — John Wooden

The coach must never forget that he is, first of all, a teacher. He must come (be present), see (diagnose), and conquer (correct). He must continuously be exploring for ways to improve himself in order that he may improve others and welcome every person and everything that maybe helpful to him. — John Wooden

When you are through learning you are through. — John Wooden

I would spend almost as much time planning a practice as conducting it. Everything was planned out each day — John Wooden

Class is an intangible quality which commands, rather than demands, the respect of others. — John Wooden

Lead, don't drive. And give credit. Don't blame. If an officer on your team suggested something and it worked well, give them credit. If it doesn't work well, you take the blame because you made the decision. — John Wooden

I grew up on a farm. We learned that there was a season to plant, a season to water, and season to harvest. The planting and watering could be laborious, but without those stages, there would never be a harvest. — John Wooden

Ability is a poor man's wealth. — John Wooden

Thou didst thy best, that is success. — John Wooden

Make your "yes" mean yes, and your "no" mean no. — John Wooden

Motivating through fear may work in the short term to get people to do something, but over the long run I believe personal pride is a much greater motivator. It produces far better results that last for a much longer time. — John Wooden

Flexibility is the key to stability. — John Wooden

I seldom was ever off my seat on the bench during the game. — John Wooden

Too often we get distracted by what is outside of our control. You can't do anything about yesterday. The door to the past has been shut and the key thrown away. You can do nothing about tomorrow. It is yet to come.
However, tomorrow is in large part determined by what you do today. So make today a masterpiece. You have control over that. — John Wooden

How hard you work at correcting your faults reveals your character. — John Wooden

It takes time to create excellence. If it could be done quickly, more people would do it. — John Wooden

Never confuse activity with accomplishment. — John Wooden

Mentors are available at all stages of your leadership life - early, middle and late. Seek them out and listen; absorb their knowledge and use it. — John Wooden

Goals achieved with little effort are seldom worthwhile or lasting. — John Wooden

Our titles would not have been possible without the unselfishness displayed by all our teams, the team wins, not the individuals — John Wooden

I wanted to win every single game I ever played in or coached. Absolutely. I wanted to win. But, I understood that ultimately the winning or losing may not be under my control. What was under my control was how I prepared myself and our team. I judged my success, my "winning," on that. It just made more sense. — John Wooden

Show me what you can do; don't tell me what you can do. — John Wooden

The general feeling is, if you don't treat everyone the same you're showing partiality. To me, that's when you show the most partiality, when you treat everyone the same. You must give each individual the treatment that you feel he earns and deserves, recognizing at all times that you're imperfect and you're going to be incorrect oftentimes in your judgment. — John Wooden

I've been blessed in so many ways. — John Wooden

Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference. — John Wooden

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day. — 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

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

Whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not, the habits you are developing now will be with you for the rest of your life. — John Wooden

Real happiness comes from the things that can not be taken away from you. — 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

Perform at your best when your best is required. Your best is required each day. — John Wooden

Succeeding is performing at your best when your best is required — John Wooden

Don't let the things you can't do get in the way of the things you can. — John Wooden

Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control. Good judgment and common sense are essential. — John Wooden

Happiness begins where selfishness ends. — John Wooden

I had a firm policy never to charge up my team on an emotional level. I believe that for every artificial peak you may create there is a valley, and i don't like valleys. Games can be lost in valleys. The ideal is an ever-mounting graph line that peaks with your final performance. There will be difficulty and adversity to overcome, but that is necessary to become stronger. Other coaches believe in charging a team up. I never did and never will. I sought a calm assurances in our dressing room, and a calm assurance warming up on the floor, and ad calm assurance in my final remarks before going out to play. — John Wooden

When it's over and you look in the mirror, did you do the best you were capable of? If yes, you will probably be ok with the outcome — John Wooden

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. — John Wooden

Losing is only temporary and not encompassing. You must simply study it, learn from it, and try hard not to lose the same way again. Then you must have the self-control to forget about it. — 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

I don't think I was a fine game coach. I'm trying to be honest. I think I was a good practice coach. — John Wooden

I've never stopped trying to do what's right. I'm not doing it to earn favor with God. I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do. — John Wooden

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

You are no better than anyone else and no one is better than you. — John Wooden

I believe correcting is the positive approach. I believe in the positive approach. Always have. — John Wooden

You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one. — John Wooden

There is great joy in doing something for somebody else with no thought in receiving anything in return. — John Wooden

School. I never tried to talk a student into coming to UCLA. I tried to show him what was there and what to expect, and I never told him he was going to play; I told him he would have the opportunity to play, and if he was good enough, then he'd be able to. Rosy forecasts during the "courtship" of a player can only lead to disappointment and distrust if anything fails to meet that student's expectations. — John Wooden

Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling. — John Wooden

Your energy and enjoyment, drive and dedication will stimulate and greatly inspire others. — John Wooden

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be. — John Wooden

It takes 10 hands to score a basket — John Wooden

I don't think I was a fine game coach I think I was a good practice coach. — 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 Wooden

Be prepared and be honest." -John Wooden — John Wooden

It matters not the subject taught, nor all the books on all the shelves, What matters most, yes most of all, is what the teachers are themselves. — John Wooden

The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move. — John Wooden

Understand there is a price to be paid for achieving anything of significance. You must be willing to pay the price. — John Wooden

Every day, try to help someone who can't reciprocate your kindness. — John Wooden

Passion is momentary; love is enduring. — John Wooden

To my way of thinking, when you give your total effort - everything you have - the score can never make you a loser. And when you do less, it can't somehow magically turn you into a winner. — John Wooden

I believe it's impossible to claim you have taught, when there are students who have not learned. With that commitment, from my first year as an English teacher until my last as UCLA basketball teacher/coach, I was determined to make the effort to become the best teacher I could possibly be, not for my sake, but for all those who were placed under my supervision. — John Wooden