John Wooden Quotes

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

We can agree to disagree, but we don’t need to be disagreeable.

Make every day your masterpiece.

Never mistake activity for achievement.

You can lose when you outscore somebody in a game, and you can win when you're outscored.

You haven't taught until they've learned.

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

It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.

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.

Decisions are more apt to be accepted when you've listened to suggestions first. I wanted them to see the reason behind what I asked of them, not to do things just because I said so.

Some of my greatest pleasures have come from finding ways to overcome obstacles.

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.

Next to love, balance is the most important thing.

Promise to think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best from yourself and others.

Make a decision! Failure to act is often the biggest failure of all.

Discipline of others isn't punishment. You discipline to help, to improve, to correct, to prevent, not to punish, humiliate, or retaliate.

Discipline yourself, and others won't need to.

Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.

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

Success travels in the company of very hard work. There is no trick, no easy way.

The better conditioned team will probably win in the long run.

Leadership is the ability to get individuals to work together for the common good and the best possible results while at the same time letting them know they did it themselves.

Make each day your masterpiece. Life is now. Life is not later on.

An effective leader allows exceptions to the rule for exceptional results or when circumstance demands.

The individual who is mistake-free is also probably sitting around doing nothing. And that is a very big mistake.

A leader’s most powerful ally is his or her own example.

Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.

Promise yourself that you will talk health, happiness, and prosperity as often as possible.

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

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

It is harmful to compare yourself to others. Others will do that for you.

A good banker isn't careless with pennies; a good leader isn't sloppy about details.

Ability is a poor man's wealth.

Over-coaching can be more harmful than under-coaching. Keep it simple!

When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur.

Promise to wear a cheerful appearance at all times and give every person you meet a smile.

Be quick without hurrying.

Earn the right to be proud and confident.

Team spirit means you are willing to sacrifice personal considerations for the welfare of all. That defines a team player.

Confidence comes from being prepared.

I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.

I do not want players who do not have a keen desire to win and do not play hard and aggressively to accomplish that objective.

In my opinion, being an effective leader requires being an effective listener. The most productive leaders are usually those who are consistently willing to listen and learn.

You can always do more than you think you can.

Promise yourself to make all your friends know there is something in them that is special and that you value.

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

An effective leader develops the ability to correctly identify the pertinent detail or details - incidentals in a market, industry or sport that might create an incremental advantage.

Good values are like a magnet – they attract good people.

Make friendship a fine art.

Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.