Top 535 Quotes & Sayings by John Wooden - Page 4

As a leader, you must be filled with energy and eagerness, joy and love for what you do. If you lack enthusiasm for your job, you cannot perform to the best of your ability. Industriousness is unattainable without Enthusiasm.

Be at your best when your best is needed.

Make every day your masterpiece.

Although there is no progress without change, not all change is progress.

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

You can always do more than you think you can.

Don't be afraid to fail. The greatest failure of all is failure to act when action is needed. Use the information that you've acquired in the past through the experiences you've had and act with self-control - but act.

Apply yourself everyday to just becoming a little bit better.

The goal in life is the same as in basketball: make the effort to do the best you are capable of doing--in marriage, at your job, in the community, for your country. Make the effort to contribute in whatever way you can. You may do it materially or with time, ideas, or work. Making the effort to contribute is what counts. The effort is what counts in everything.

It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize.

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

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

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

It's important to keep trying to do what you think is right no matter how hard it is or how often you fail. Never stop trying

You must believe in what you're doing, that what you're doing is the proper thing, the right thing. And you must have faith that things will end up as they should, which doesn't mean as you want them to, but things will work out as they should.

Make today your master piece.

The Good Lord in his infinite wisdom, did not create us all equal when it comes to size, strength, appearance, or various aptitudes. But success is not being better than someone else, success is the peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfacti on in knowing that you gave your best effort to become the best of which you are capable.

The greatest failure of all is the failure to act when action is needed

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.

The best competition I have is against myself to become better

You must have respect, which is a part of love, for those under your supervision. Then they will do what you ask and more.

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

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.

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 have to work hard, and you have to enjoy what you're doing. If you don't enjoy it, no matter how hard you seem to work, you're not going to be working as hard as you can because you're not enjoying it.

There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience.

Real wealth comes to the person who learns that we are paid best for the things we do for nothing.

First be the best and then be first

Adaptability is being able to adjust to any situation at any given time.

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

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

The athlete who says that something can't be done should never interrupt the one who's doing it

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.

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.

As long as you try your best, you are never a failure. That is, unless you blame others.

Character is more important than any other leadership trait.

The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.

Never try to be better than someone else. Learn from others.

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.

While you, the leader, can teach many things, character is not taught easily to adults who arrive at your desk lacking it. Be cautious about taking on reclamation projects regardless of the talent they may possess. Have the courage to make character count among the qualities you seek in others.

We can give without loving, but we can't love without giving. In fact, love is nothing unless we give it to someone.

Time lost is time lost. It’s gone forever. Some people tell themselves that they will work twice as hard tomorrow to make up for what they did not do today. People should always do their best. If they work twice as hard tomorrow, then they should have also worked twice as hard today. That would have been their best.

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.

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

It is easier to reach our potential when we learn the value of including others in our quest.

I don't believe in looking back. If you make a decision that you think is the proper one at a time, then that's the correct decision.

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

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.

Once you become a good person, then you have a chance of becoming a good basketball player.

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

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.

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

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.

Adversity often produces an unexpected opportunity. Look for it ! Appreciate and utilize it! This is difficult to do if you're feeling sorry for yourself because you're faced with adversity.

You never fail if you know in your heart that you did the best of which you are capable. I did my best. That is all I could do. Are you going to make mistakes? Of course. But it is not failure if you make the full effort.

One of my constant reminders was, "End practice on a happy note." I wanted the boys to want to come out to practice, and I wanted them to get a certain amount of pleasure out of basketball. It's a game. It should be fun. So I always tried to counterbalance any criticism in practice with a bit of praise. I wanted my players to feel that the worst punishment I could give them was to deny them the privilege of practicing. If they did not want to practice, I did not want them there.

Remember this your lifetime through: Tomorrow there will be more to do. And failure waits for all who stay With some success made yesterday. Tomorrow you must try once more, And even harder than before.

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

Failure is not the crime. Low aim is.