John Wooden Quotes

We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else.

Stay the course. When thwarted try again; harder; smarter. Persevere relentlessly.

It is normal to enjoy praise and dislike criticism. True character is when you prevent either from affecting you in a negative matter.

If you get too engrossed and involved and concerned in regard to things over which you have no control, it will adversely affect the things over which you have control.

Be at your best when your best is needed.

First be the best and then be first

Fairness is giving all people the treatment they earn and deserve. It doesn't mean treating everyone alike.

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.

Climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you. Focus all your effort on what is in your power to control.

If there's anything you could point out where I was a little different, it was the fact that I never mentioned winning.

There is nothing stronger than gentleness.

There is no substitute for work. Worthwhile results come from hard work and careful planning.

Passion is momentary; love is enduring.

The true athlete should have character, not be a character

When people ask me now if I miss coaching UCLA basketball games, the national championships, the attention, the trophies, and everything that goes with them, I tell them this: I miss the practices.

The coach is first of all a teacher.

Good players can take coaching; great players can take coaching and learn.

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

Well, your greatest joy definitely comes from doing something for another, especially when it was done with no thought of something in return.

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

Thou didst thy best, that is success.

A Coach must never forget that he is a leader and not merely a person with authority.

Although I wanted my players to work to win, I tried to convince them they had always won when they had done their best.

I do not judge success based on championships; rather, I judge it on how close we came to realizing our potential

Every day was a good day at UCLA.

Condition comes from hard work during practice and proper mental and moral conduct between practices.

Consideration for others brings many things.

Make your "yes" mean yes, and your "no" mean no.

It isn't about what you do, but how you do it

We may not be the best conditioned team in the country, but our players think they are.

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

I've been blessed in so many ways.

Enthusiasm brushes off upon those with whom you come in contact.

Too many people look on outscoring someone as winning, I never tried to get that across to my players.

The important things to me are your faith, your family and your friends. If you have that, you have everything.

If I were a young coach today, I would be extremely careful in selecting assistants.

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 found golf was too time consuming, but I did enjoy it.

I found the bench to be the greatest ally when I had to make individuals comply with what was best for the team

Conditioning is essential to success in basketball.

It is most difficult, in my mind, to separate any success, whether it be in your profession, your family, or as in my case, in basketball, from religion.

You've never heard of them- and you never will .

I don't believe in fate.

Dwelling in the past prevents doing something in the present.

Do your best every day. Live each day as if it's your masterpiece.

The best competition I have is against myself to become better

Character is more important than any other leadership trait.

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.

To win once you must have talent, but to win again you must have character.

The importance of repetition until automaticity cannot be overstated. Repetition is the key to learning.