Top 535 Quotes & Sayings by John Wooden - Page 2

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

I think permitting the game to become too physical takes away a little bit of the beauty.

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 don't believe in praying to win.

I met Tiger Woods when he was younger. He's amazing - obviously technically, but his mental approach, too. He's really something.

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

No one can really honestly be the very best, no one.

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.

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

I'm not afraid to die.

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.

I've been blessed in so many ways.

Earn the right to be proud and confident.

I was built up from my dad more than anyone else.

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.

Failure is never fatal. But failure to change can and might be.

Teaching players during practices was what coaching was all about to me.

Be prepared and be honest.

I like to spend time in the past, with the things that have been important to me.

I don't believe in fate.

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

If a player's not doing the things he should, put him on the bench. He'll come around.

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

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.

The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.

My eyesight is not nearly as good. My hearing is probably going away. My memory is slipping too. But I'm still around.

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

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

You must be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way.

The eight laws of learning are explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition.

The more concerned we become over the things we can't control, the less we will do with the things we can control

There is no more powerful leadership tool than your own personal example.

Champions never complain, they are too busy getting better

The time to prepare isn't after you have been given the opportunity. It's long before that opportunity arises. Once the opportunity arrives, it's too late to prepare.

The ability to see the good in others and the bad in ourselves is perfect vision.

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

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

Don't look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at time. That's the only way it happens-and when it happens, it lasts.

Don't permit fear of failure to prevent effort. We are all imperfect and will fail on occasions, but fear of failure is the greatest failure of all.

Remember this, the choices you make in life, make you.

What is right is more important than who is right.

How hard you work at correcting your faults reveals your character.

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

A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group - that's teamwork.

If you spend too much time learning the 'tricks' of the trade, you may not learn the trade. There are no shortcuts. If you're working on finding a short cut, the easy way, you're not working hard enough on the fundamentals. You may get away with it for a spell, but there is no substitute for the basics. And the first basic is good, old fashioned hard work.

Without proper self-evaluation, failure is inevitable.

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

Having the courage to make decisions and take action. Never be afraid to fail. You have nothing to fear if you have prepared to the best of your ability.

The purpose is to help, to prevent, to correct, to improve, rather than to punish. Criticism is not meant to punish, but rather to correct something that is preventing better results. The only goal is improvement.

When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve conditioning a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in conditioning. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don't look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That's the only way it happens - and when it happens, it lasts.

If you do enough small things right, big things can happen

A strong leader accepts blame and gives the credit. A weak leader gives blame and accepts the credit.

Be more concerned with what you can do for others than what others can do for you. You’ll be surprised at the results.

Dwelling in the past prevents doing something in the present.

Never lie; never cheat; never steal. Don't whine; don't complain; don't make excuses.

The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.

A mistake is valuable if you do four things with it: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it

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.

Perfection is impossibility but striving for perfection is not. Do the best you can. That is what counts.